Research on student learning has undergone many changes in the last decade. In particular, the research methodology has advanced in many different ways on the level of complexity of data collection and rigor of data analyses. In the quantitative research perspective, many off-line and online measures and statistical analysis techniques have been further meticulously developed. In the qualitative research perspective, a broader range of data collection tools are applied. Also the use of mixed method data analysis is increasing. Although in some research strands on student learning, the mono method approach of quantitative research is still ‘the golden rule’, in other research strands we notify more methodological creativity in mixing research paradigms and designs which can be very fruitful advancements for further knowledge development. In this book we focus on the domain of research on learning patterns in which these methodological shifts are in rapid evolution. A variety of international research cases illustrating current practices of empirical research, is presented showing how different methods of research on student learning can be applied and be useful for future research. Benefits an boundaries of the research methods are critically discussed and future perspectives are proposed.

This book uses the publicly available TEDS-M data to answer such questions as: How does teacher education contribute to the learning outcomes of future teachers? Are there programs that are more successful than others in helping teachers learn to teach mathematics? How does the local and national policy environment contribute to teacher education outcomes? It invites readers to explore these questions across a large number of international settings. The importance of preparing future mathematics teachers has become a priority across many nations. Across the globe nations have allocated resources and expertise to this endeavour. Yet in spite of the importance accorded to teacher education not much is known about different approaches to preparing knowledgeable teachers and whether these approaches do in fact achieve their purpose. The Mathematics Teacher Education and Development Study (TEDS-M) is the first, and to date the only, cross-national study using scientific and representative samples to provide empirical data on the knowledge that future mathematics teachers of primary and secondary school acquire in their teacher education programs. The study addresses the central importance of teacher knowledge in learning to teach mathematics by examining variation in the nature and influence of teacher education programs within and across countries. The study collected data on teacher education programs structure, curriculum and opportunities to learn, on teacher educators’ characteristics and beliefs, and on future mathematics teachers’ individual characteristics, beliefs, and mathematics and pedagogical knowledge across 17 countries providing a unique opportunity to explore enduring questions in the field.

The COVID-19 pandemic has likely changed the mathematics, health and environmental education research landscape in profound and long-lasting ways. As such, more than ever, there is a need to creatively and critically think about how we design research and for what purposes. This necessitates a considered and robust discussion about educational research theory, method, and methodology to ensure that our research continues to impact practice in valuable ways. This book maps out some of these key challenges and opportunities as we collectively enter a post-COVID-19 world in which method and methodology need to be appreciated as much as research findings. Topics explored here range from big-picture issues in STEM Education research, through perspectives on design-based research, to questions of analysis, complexity, the Delphi method, and ethical dilemmas.

This book addresses the changing nature of the methodologies that underpin research in mathematics, science, health and environmental education. This is a constantly shifting landscape that educational researchers need to engage with in order for research to continue to impact educational practice. The novelty of this book in the context of the existing publishing landscape is that it has a singular focus on methodology and methods, not in service of research findings but as something worth considering in itself, bringing methodology to the forefront of educational research.

This book focuses on ethical and methodological issues faced by researchers working with young language learners in formal school contexts. It uncovers and explicitly discusses a range of ethical dilemmas, challenges and experiences that researchers have encountered and grappled with, in studies of all kinds from large scale, experimental studies to ethnographic studies focused on just a handful of children. The chapters are written by researchers working with children in different classroom contexts around the world and highlight how ethical dilemmas and tensions take on a complex form in child-focused research, requiring researchers to pay particular attention to the social and cultural norms of the different communities within which children are educated as well as their school-based experiences. The book comprises three sections, with the first part focused on involving children as active participants in research; part two on ethical challenges in multilingual contexts and part three on links between teacher education and researching children. The book includes a critical discussion of the opportunities and challenges associated with applying the UNCRC (1989) document in second language research with children which will be of use to any researcher working in this area.

Using interaction as a fundamental springboard, Addressing Methodological Challenges in Interpreting Studies Research showcases the major breakthrough in interpreting studies made by investigating community interpreting and the inherent high degree of participant interaction. The book adds a ‘reflexive’ twist, and espouses the notion of the analyst as not separate from the context under study. After looking at dialogue interpreters, cast away from the carpeted walls of sound-proof booths and deprived of the spotlighted lectern-podium position at high level fora, it has become clear that the interpreter’s invisibility, not to mention their neutrality, is uppermost in the minds of both users and providers in terms of expectations. Among all the participants in any ‘mediated’ communicative situation, it is the interpreter who is exceedingly visible and potentially most influential in shaping and coordinating the ongoing exchanges. The book proposes that a similar view be applied to researchers engaged in interpreting research, especially in empirical investigations. Different forms of ‘interaction’ between researchers and the data in their studies are inevitable. This applies to every stage of their work, ranging from all the pre-analysis activities to the analysis itself, and the post-analysis stage, in which results are disseminated in the research community and, possibly, the target population. This volume will stand to benefit all those who work with researching language issues, not only because of the various approaches covered in the volume, but also because of the ways in which they are reframed as a result of shifting contextual constraints.

In all parts of Asia, households devote considerable expenditures to private supplementary tutoring. This tutoring may contribute to students' achievement, but it also maintains and exacerbates social inequalities, diverts resources from other uses, and can contribute to inefficiencies in education systems. Such tutoring is widely called shadow education, because it mimics school systems. As the curriculum in the school system changes, so does the shadow. This study documents the scale and nature of shadow education in different parts of the region. Shadow education has been a major phenomenon in East Asia and it has far-reaching economic and social implications.

In higher education, case studies can be utilized to have students put themselves into problems faced by a protagonist and, by doing so, address academic or career-related issues. Working through these issues provides students with an opportunity to gain applied perspective and experiences. Professors in higher education who choose this method of teaching require navigational tools to ensure that students achieve stated learning objectives. Case Study Methodology in Higher Education is an essential research publication that focuses on the history and theories relating to case study methodology including techniques for writing case studies and utilizing them in university settings to prepare students for real-life career-related scenarios. This publication features a wide range of topics such as educational leadership, case writing, and teacher education. It is essential for educators, career professionals, higher education faculty, researchers, and students.

Does value-added modeling (VAM) demonstrate the importance of teachers to student outcomes? The authors clarify the primary questions raised by VAM for measuring teacher effects, review the most important recent applications of VAM, and discuss a variety of statistical and measurement issues that might affect the validity of VAM inferences. The authors identify numerous possible sources of error and bias in teacher effects and recommend a number of steps for future research into these potential errors.

This book is unique in bringing together studies on instructed second language acquisition that focus on a common question: "What renders this research particularly relevant to classroom applications, and what are the advantages, challenges, and potential pitfalls of the methodology adopted?" The empirical studies feature experimental, quasi-experimental and observational research in settings ranging from the classroom to the laboratory and CALL contexts. All contributors were asked to discuss issues of cost, ethics, participant availability, experimental control, teacher collaboration, and student motivation, as well as the generalizability of findings to different kinds of educational contexts, languages, and structures. This volume should be of interest to graduate students in second language research, practicing teachers who want some guidance to navigate the sometimes overwhelming array of publications, and to researchers who are planning studies on instructed second language learning or teaching and are looking to make principled decisions on which of the existing methodologies to adopt.