Setting the scene: criticisms of educational research -- Doing philosophy: defining what you mean -- The focus of educational research: practice and policy -- Research methods: philosophical issues they raise -- Quantitative and qualitative research: a false dualism -- Key concepts and recurring conflicts -- Competing philosophical positions -- Research into practice: action and practitioner research -- Quality of educational research -- Ethical dimensions to educational research -- Political context of educational research -- Conclusion: the nature and future of educational research.