What is a background source?
Background sources are written for a general audience and are intended to give an overview of a topic, fill gaps in the reader’s knowledge, and provide context for deeper understanding. Examples include Wikipedia, introductory textbooks, and reference works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks.
They can be a useful place to start your research and assist in selecting a topic for a research project, locating basic information and key facts, defining important words and concepts, and getting suggestions for additional sources to consult.
Typical characteristics of background sources:
- intended to be informative
- provide context, background, or summary information
- present shared information and established facts; information is uncontested
- offer suggestions for additional sources of information on the topic
Encyclopedias & Handbooks & Dictionaries
SAGE Knowledge provides high quality sources in education, psychology, and other social science fields.
Browse by topic or search full text for in-depth articles with bibliographies.
A Dictionary of Education by
Education is of relevance to everyone but it involves a specialized vocabulary and terminology which may be opaque or unfamiliar to those new to the field. This UK-focused Dictionary of Education provides clear and concise definitions for over 1,100 terms, from A* to zero tolerance, thatanyone studying education or working in the field is likely to encounter. Coverage includes all sectors of education: pre-school, primary, secondary, further and higher education, special needs, adult and continuing education, and work-based learning. It also includes major legislation, key figuresand organizations, and national curriculum and assessment terminology.This second edition covers all the contemporary reforms being introduced to revise the school examinations system and to reform the process of initial teacher training in England and Wales. Coverage of the vocabulary of education has also been increased, and longer and more detailed entries areincluded for terms relating to disability and inclusive practice, such as autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit, and dyslexia, and to professional development, such as mentor. Entries regarding projects and initiatives that are now obsolete have been deleted.The dictionary features entry-level web links, accessible and kept up to date via the Dictionary of Education companion website. Detailed appendices include a timeline summary of landmark educational legislation since 1945 and a glossary of acronyms. In addition, there is a useful, fullycross-referenced section of comparative terms used in the US, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. This concise yet authoritative dictionary is essential for all students of education, teachers, and lecturers on development programmes, and it is strongly recommended for governors, classroomassistants, and parents.
ISBN: 9780199679393Publication Date: 2015
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education
Substantive, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated, the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education combines the speed & flexibility of digital with the rigorous standards of academic publishing
ISBN: 0190264098Publication Date: 2016 -
Encyclopedia of Special Education, 4 Volume Set by
The only encyclopedia or comprehensive reference devoted to special education Editors-In-Chief and Contributing Editors are leading researchers and scholars in the field New edition includes over 200 more entries than previous edition, with increased attention given to those topics that have grown in importance since the publication of the third edition, such as technology, service delivery policies, international issues, neuropsychology, and Response to Intervention, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. In addition, the entries will be updated to cover the latest editions of the assessment instruments frequently administered in special education settings Includes an international list of authors and descriptions of special education in 35 countries Includes technology and legal updates to reflect a rapidly changing environment 4 Volumes
ISBN: 9780470642160Publication Date: 2014
Biographical Sources
Fifty Major Thinkers on Education by ISBN: 0203467124Publication Date: 2002-09-11Provides summaries of the great educators of the past. Covering a time-span from 500 BC to the early twentieth century each essay gives key biographical information, an outline of the individual's principal achievements and activities, an assessment of their impact and influence, a list of their major writings and suggested further reading.
Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education by ISBN: 0203464699Publication Date: 2002-09-11Looks at fifty of the 20th century's most significant contributors to the debate on education. Each essay gives key biographical information, an outline of the individual's principal achievements and activities, an assessment of his or her impact and influence and a list of their major writings and suggested further reading.
Philosophical Perspectives
Encyclopedia of educational philosophy and theory by
This encyclopaedia is a dynamic reference and study place for students, teachers, researchers and professionals in the field of education, philosophy and social sciences, offering both short and long entries on topics of theoretical and practical interest in educational theory and philosophy by authoritative world scholars representing the full ambit of education as a rapidly expanding global field of knowledge and expertise. This is an encyclopaedia that is truly global and while focused mainly on the Western tradition is also respectful and representative of other knowledge traditions. It professes to understand the globalization of knowledge. It is unique in the sense that it is based on theoretical orientations and approaches to the main concepts and theories in education, drawing on the range of disciplines in the social sciences. The encyclopaedia privileges the "theory of practice", recognizing that education as a discipline and activity is mainly a set of professional practices that inherently involves questions of power and expertise for the transmission, socialization and critical debate of competing norms and values
ISBN: 9812875883Publication Date: 2017
Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy by
Education is a field sometimes beset by theories-of-the-day and with easy panaceas that overpromise the degree to which they can alleviate pressing educational problems. The two-volume Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy introduces readers to theories that have stood the test of time and those that have provided the historical foundation for the best of contemporary educational theory and practice. Drawing together a team of international scholars, this invaluable reference examines the global landscape of all the key theories and the theorists behind them and presents them in the context needed to understand their strengths and weaknesses. In addition to interpretations of long-established theories, this work offers essays on cutting-edge research and concise, to-the-point definitions of key concepts, ideas, schools, and figures. Features: Over 300 signed entries by trusted experts in the field are organized into two volumes and overseen by a distinguished general editor and an international editorial board. Entries are followed by cross references and further reading suggestions. A Reader's Guide groups entries thematically The Reader's Guide, detailed index, and cross references combine for strong search-and-browse capabilities in the electronic version. Available in a choice of print or electronic formats, Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy is an ideal reference for anyone interested in the roots of contemporary educational theory. Key Themes: Aims of Education Classic Premodern Philosophers, Theories, and Theorists Curriculum Educational Research, Evaluation, and Testing Equity, Rights, Social Stratification, and Citizenship Higher Education Learners, Learning, and Teaching Liberal Education Moral, Religious, Spiritual, and Social/Cultural Values Multiculturalism and Special Populations Organization of Schooling Philosophy of Science, Sociology of Science, and Epistemology Philosophy of Education: Feminist Perspectives Philosophy of Education: Nonwestern Traditions Philosophy of Education: The Analytic Tradition Philosophy of Education: The Continental Traditions Philosophy of Education: The Political Theory Tradition Philosophy of Education: The Pragmatic Tradition Progressive Education Psychological Orientation in Educational Theory Social Sciences Orientation in Educational Theory
ISBN: 9781483346212Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Philosophy of Education: The Key Concepts by
An easy to use A-Z guide summarizing all the key terms, ideas and issues central to the study of educational theory today. Fully updated, the book is cross-referenced throughout and contains pointers to further reading, as well as new entries on such topics as: Citizenship and Civic Education Liberalism Capability Well-being Patriotism Globalisation Open-mindedness Creationism and Intelligent Design. Comprehensive and authoritative this highly accessible guide provides all that a student, teacher or policy-maker needs to know about the latest thinking on education in the 21st century.'
ISBN: 0415428920Publication Date: 2008-07-24
