Exploring Practitioner Research in Further Education

Book excerpt: Exploring Practitioner Research in Further Education unpacks how people in the Further Education (FE) sector undertake research and the impact it has had on the world around them. Using a newly developed writing framework and offering a practitioner view of approaching and conducting work in the FE system, this book demystifies the process of undertaking research by showcasing the readers’ peers at various stages of the research journey. It draws together research work from general and specialist FE colleges, adult and community learning, offender learning, work-based training, and college-based higher education across the UK. Within these contexts, it makes links to theoretical and practical arguments regarding the usefulness of practitioner-led research. Uniquely, the chapters also explore practitioner- or sector-led models for developing practitioner research within a classroom, within an organisation, and across multiple organisations. Including a range of diverse voices to represent the breadth of FE, this book provides a framework for research, in addition to a space for each author’s authentic voice. This will be a useful text for all teacher educators, professional development leads, senior leaders, and practising teachers and lecturers across the FE sector.