ABSTRACT
Variations on the standard approach There are many variations on the basic model of a journal article, and there are deviations from it. Some articles might have no data, for example discussions of the literature, or purely theoretical expositions, or philosophical or methodological debates. Non-empirical articles in fact constitute the majority in some journals, such as the British Journal of Educational Studies. However, many reflective pieces follow the same principles as outlined in Chapter 2, except that the data is a given, and critical reflection follows upon it. They would not, therefore, need sections on methods and data, and the organisation of the rest would be determined by the particular argument being made. A. Hargreaves' (1988) article, for example, on 'Teaching quality: a sociological analysis' is a review of the literature pointing to sociologieal factors that affect teaching quality in contrast to the government's 'common sense' view, with markedly different implications for policy. Its construction follows a simple formula:
• Introduction. Identification of the current pressing issue of 'teaching quality', government action being taken and the apparent 'theories' on which it is based. Introduction of the argument of the paper - an alternative explanation of 'poor' teaching quality based on sociological factors.
