Research Methods for Educational Dialogue provides an overview of the range of possibilities for researching various forms of educational dialogue, underpinned by a coherent theoretical foundation. The authors, Kershner, Hennessy, Wegerif and Ahmed offer an integrated understanding of different methodological approaches in this fast-growing area of education. The book includes critical discussion of a variety of methods for investigating the characteristics and quality of dialogues for individuals and groups of participants in different educational contexts. These include student-student, teacher-student and wider professional dialogues, conducted face-to-face, online or mediated by classroom technologies. The authors argue for the integration of ethical and methodological principles, and consider the potential for innovative research methods that are dialogic in themselves.
Including chapter commentaries from invited experts in the field, authentic research examples and a glossary of terms, this is essential reading for anyone looking to research in the area of educational dialogue.
[T]his book offers a practical and beautifully multi-layered introduction to research on educational dialogue. Students will find the book to be a helpful introduction to the many topics, methods, and questions currently addressed in this field ... Most of all, this research manual truly is dialogic in its very nature, giving the reader a sense of the many conversations that currently exist among researchers in this field ... In this way, the book is an important contribution to the field of educational research in general, where voices that insist on context and complexity are much-needed.