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‘… a masterpiece … long overdue’ Professor Judy Sebba, University of Sussex and member of 2008 RAE panel for Education “This is an exceptional book – and one that should be essential reading for anyone seriously thinking about educational practice – for two reasons. First, it is one of the few books on thinking about education which is written with the wit and humour which makes compulsive reading. Second, the approach to theory (or thinking systematically, philosophically and evidentially) is through the author’s own attempt to understand what appears to many as a mystery. In this personal journey, the author provides a comprehensive and critical review of different theoretical positions.” Professor Richard Pring, University of Oxford What is the role of theory in education? Does the pursuit of theory in education always lead to improvements in practice? What is the alternative to theory? Theory holds a central place in educational inquiry: tutors urge students to embed their work in it; funding bodies demand that research proposals be located in. But in an important new analysis, Gary Thomas suggests that the pursuit of theory in education is the pursuit of a chimera. This compelling book examines what theory means for both student and researcher and questions whether the confidence in educational theory is justified. It begins by looking at what theory is, and what use it has in education and examines some theoretically significant influences on educational thought and practice in the twentieth century. Challenging the idea that the practice of education should be based on theory, the author offers alternative, simpler frameworks for conducting inquiry, without the constraints of existing theory, contending that it is time for a discussion about how values, evidence and ideas can more straightforwardly guide educational practice. Education and Theory is stimulating reading for academics, researchers, teachers and students of education. Gary Thomas took up the post of chair in education at Birmingham in 2005. Before university teaching, he worked as a teacher and as an educational psychologist. In higher education at the University of Leeds, at Oxford Brookes University, UWE and University College London his teaching and research have focused on inclusion, special education, and research methodology in education. He has received awards from the ESRC, the Nuffield Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, the DfES, Barnardos, the Cadmean Trust, local authorities and a range of other organisations. Most of his funded research has been on inclusive or special education, though his Leverhulme Research Fellowship was awarded to examine the role of theory in education. He currently leads an ESRC thematic seminar competition in the Teaching and Learning Research Programme on the assessment of quality in educational research. He is the founding co-editor of a Taylor & Francis Carfax journal, the International Journal of Research and Method in Education and he is an editorial board member of the British Educational Research Journal. Preface Journeys to understanding theory What’s the use of theory in education? Where’s the Theory? Behind you! (Oh no it isn’t!) Theory and the rational mind Theory’s spell – on qualitative inquiry and educational research The use and abuse of ‘theory’: grounded theory Less theory: fewer rules, more thinking References
