This highly successful introductory text has been updated in the light of recent legislative changes in education - such as the introduction of teacher appraisal, and the move towards more heavily school-based training. The book's guiding principle remains simple: how to produce school-based research that is both useful and rigorous . It offers a clear account of the research process and provides a sound basis from which teachers can realistically conduct school-based research projects. New sections in this second edition include: * a discussion of the impact of feminism on educational research * further coverage of action research and case study research, and * advice on writing up research. The authors have also updated their invaluable annotated further reading lists for each chapter.