Problem-Based Methodology: Research for the Improvement of Practice

How can educational research make a greater impact on educational practice?
Problem-Based Methodology: Research for the Improvement of Practice explains why educational research has contributed so little to the understanding and resolution of educational problems, and how, with a different methodology, its contribution could be significantly greater. The book offers an alternative problem-based methodology (PBM) which is better matched than either empiricist, critical or interpretive approaches to the generic features of educational problems, to the way practitioners seek to resolve those problems, and to the normative requirements of any practical activity. In addition, PBM incorporates a politics of inquiry which shows how researchers and practitioners can reach warranted agreements about the nature of problems and solutions, through dialogue that is simultaneously critical and collaborative. Two original school-based studies illustrate this new approach to educational and social research.

D.C. Phillips, Professor of Education and Philosophy, Stanford University
As I read, I was constantly struck with how deftly and how clearly Robinson was able to dissect complex issues - without sinking into the philosophical and methodological morass! It is a stimulating book for anyone working in the applied social sciences or educational research.

J.C. Walker, Professor of Education, University of Canberra, Australia
...a superb contribution to discussion of social science and educational research methodology...Robinson has made an original and incisive piece of work which should be very widely discussed.

...Viviane Robinson offers a well written and generally persuasive overview of her problem-centered approach for improving educational practice...encompasses numerous ideas with analytic depth and insight.
Evaluation and Program Planning
Brian Haig
Problem-Based Methodology, written by one of New Zealand's leading educational researchers, introduces an array of important, but neglected, methodological ideas into the domain of action research and melds them into a coherent methodology that has relevance for educational and social science researchers more generally...Robinson's view of problem-based methodology weaves together a greater array of relevant methodological resources than is to be found in alternative accounts of action research.... It is impossible in the compass of a short review to do justice to the nature, development and coherence of PBM. Nothing less than a full reading of the book will do that. So, I urge reflective educational researchers to read the book to its entirety...in my view PBM contains a number of important features which should seriously be considered for adoption by educational researchers of all stripes.... Problem-Based Methodology is an excellent book. It is the best extended treatment of action research methodology that I have read.
New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies
Bob Smith
...what this book does with PBM is more extensive, more informative, more instructive and more passionate than that which has been previously portrayed amongst the new wave of praxis methodologies.... Robinson presents some rich argument here that is most challenging...a wealth of issues and arguments that academics and graduate students will find instructive and engaging.
Australian Educational Researcher
J.C. Walker
The ideas in this book have the potential to transform educational research...this book is virtually indispensable reading for anyone in a responsible position in teacher education; certainly it is essential reading for anyone dealing explicitly with research methods or design. It is a valuable reference for advanced students.
South Pacific Journal of Teacher Education
Peter Gronn
...a major contribution to better connecting theory and practice in education...should have a significant impact on the management of schools.... Problem Based Methodology is a welcome and important addition to the literature on intervention... Robinson's case is exceedingly well argued and her text is written in a highly accessible style... If practitioners and researchers are both prepared to take up the challenge it holds out for changing educational practice, in an era which seems everywhere bent on organisational transformation and restructuring, then Robinson will have helped make a very real contribution to improving educational efficiency and performance.
Educational Management and Administration
J.C. Walker
In the five years since its publication, this book has already had a marked impact on the field of eductional administration....theoretical heart of Knowing Educational Administration, and whose applicatin to educational problems is the book's central and magnificent acheivement.
Educational Philosophy and Theory