Researching Education from the Inside focuses on research projects that are undertaken by people who already have an attachment to the institutions or social groups on which their investigations are based. They can, therefore, be considered to be insiders'. In some cases their insider positioning is primarily important because it gets them access to the particular people and/or the phenomena that they want to investigate. At other times, however, aspects of their own insidership' will, in itself, come under scrutiny.

Insider researchers need to consider five distinct stages that can lead to ethical dilemmas, namely: Entering the field, Being in the field, Leaving the field, Writing, and Disseminating the results. This book covers these stages whist considering important issues such as:

• Access,
• Choice of research methods,
• Field relationships,
• Involvement of informants,
• Confidentiality and anonymity,
• Interpretation of findings including validity and reliability.

Failure to properly consider these key factors can lead to disastrous consequences for any research but it can be a special problem for insider investigators. These vital issues are discussed by an impressive range of contributors in this ground-breaking book, making it an invaluable resource for anyone participating in Insider Research.

Researching Education from the Inside focuses on research projects that are undertaken by people who already have an attachment to the institutions or social groups on which their investigations are based. They can, therefore, be considered to be insiders'. In some cases their insider positioning is primarily important because it gets them access to the particular people and/or the phenomena that they want to investigate. At other times, however, aspects of their own insidership' will, in itself, come under scrutiny.

Insider researchers need to consider five distinct stages that can lead to ethical dilemmas, namely: Entering the field, Being in the field, Leaving the field, Writing, and Disseminating the results. This book covers these stages whist considering important issues such as:

• Access,
• Choice of research methods,
• Field relationships,
• Involvement of informants,
• Confidentiality and anonymity,
• Interpretation of findings including validity and reliability.

Failure to properly consider these key factors can lead to disastrous consequences for any research but it can be a special problem for insider investigators. These vital issues are discussed by an impressive range of contributors in this ground-breaking book, making it an invaluable resource for anyone participating in Insider Research.

Universities do not simply arise from nowhere. Throughout history civic leaders have supported the establishment and growth of universities for a variety of social, political, economic and other strategic reasons. This is a study of a group of contemporary Australian civic leaders and their role in the establishment and growth of their local university. The book firstly details the historical and contemporary record that civic leaders have played in the foundation and growth of universities. It then examines the perspectives of a group of regional politicians from Australia concerning their local universities, specifically the University of Ballarat and La Trobe University, Bendigo. The discussion is framed in terms of notions of the self, identity and leadership in the network and informational society.