Research Methods for the Self-Study of Practice

This series was initiated as an extension of, and support for, the International Ha- book of Self-study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices (Loughran,Ham- ton, LaBoskey, & Russell, 2004).

As such, the books that comprise the series are designed to offer new and engaging ways of examining issues (both theoretical and practical), associated with self-study research.

Throughthis text,the editorshave takena boldstand in holdingupto scrutinythe work of a number of scholars in ways that shed new light on the methods, practices and outcomes of their self-study endeavours.

They have assembled an outstanding array of authors that demonstrates well the way in which the self-study com- nity functions as a collaborative and supportive enterprise in the work of teacher education.

Deborah Tidwell, Melissa Heston and Linda Fitzgerald are an experienced and talented team of editors who have accepted responsibility for a numberof the recent Castle proceedings (Fitzgerald, Heston, & Tidwell, 2006; Heston, Tidwell, East, & Fitzgerald, 2008; Tidwell, Fitzgerald, & Heston, 2004, the bi-ennial conference of AERA's S-STEP SIG). Through that work they have been fortunate to be fully immersed in the most up to date and in uential research conducted by members of the self-study community.

As a consequence of that involvement and leadership they have been exceptionally well placed to be familiar with, and therefore attract, authorsthat have a great deal to offer by sharing their work through this exceptional text.