This classic text in educational research literature has been thoroughly updated to take into account new philosophical theories and the current political context for educational research. Remaining, however, are the three, key central themes: the nature of social science in general; the nature of educational enquiry in particular; and the links between the language and concepts of research, on the one hand, and those of practice and policy on the other. In analyzing and interrelating these themes, Richard Pring shows their relationship to such central philosophical concepts as meaning, truth, and objectivity.