Good practice in educational research : An outline using four paradigms

This article employs four different research papers (a case study, an action research project, an ethnography and a quantitative nomothetic study) to illustrate some of the basic concepts which make up sound educational research. Issues such as research design, sampling, data collection, data analysis and validity are all discussed. Particular emphasis is placed in the paper on the need for transparency on the part of researchers when presenting their findings.