This chapter is in two parts. The first describes my approach to the conduct of research, and some of the innovations I have adopted or invented over 20 years. The second describes the kinds of designs, data and methods of analysis used in the substantive Chapters 3 to 12. There is no space for full details of the methods of each study, but all are referenced for readers to follow as they wish. If readers find this chapter hard to start with, it can be skipped and picked up again at the end.

My approach to research

One strand of my research work over 20 years, since 1997 (Gorard, 1997a), has been writing about the conduct of research itself, based on my own experiences, observation of the work of others and reading copious research reports for reviews of evidence. Part of this writing has been about the role of funders and research organisations (Gorard, 2002a, 2004a; Gorard and Cook, 2007). Much has been capacitybuilding and development work intended to benefit new researchers (Gorard, 2017a, b), including on combining methods (Gorard, 2002b; Gorard, with Taylor 2004), perhaps through design experiments (Sloane and Gorard, 2003; Gorard et al, 2004a). In retrospect, it is clear that much of the writing has been about simplifying the process of research for others, including showing that supposed divisions, such as the widespread ‘qualitative’:‘quantitative’ schism, are unfounded in any way, including philosophically (Gorard, 2002b, 2004b; Gorard and Smith, 2006; Symonds and Gorard, 2010). In the end, there is only research (Gorard and Siddiqui, 2018a).

Using large-scale data at an aggregated level tends to emphasise the role of structure and even predictability in people's lifelong education trajectories. The same factors rarely appear in individuals’ own indepth accounts of their lives, which tend to emphasise choice, the role of others and serendipity. Using only one of these forms of data in research would be likely to impoverish and even bias the findings, and any practical conclusions drawn from them. Therefore, both have a role in studying any research area. I apply this simple holistic idea to teaching, research capacity-building, knowledge transfer and all of my research. It makes the work simpler, the communication of findings easier to wide audiences and reviews of evidence more secure and less biased.