Concluding Thoughts

Having read the case studies and the thematic chapters, what do we know now that we didn't know before? The answer(s), of course, will be different for every reader. If you are used to researching learning in out-of-school contexts, you may feel vindicated: the struggles you've faced are shared with other researchers; you are not alone in asking the questions you have asked. If this isn't your area of research, you may have experienced a range of reactions, from envy (why is your research not this interesting?) to being very worried about the ethical dilemmas faced by colleagues (and ethics boards). You may also have recognised similar issues when researching in your own area. In this concluding chapter, I will highlight some of the important themes which run throughout the previous chapters. The purpose of this chapter, however, is no more to be definitive than any other part of this book – it is, rather, to stimulate reflection, thinking and debate. This leads to the first theme: being comfortable with ambiguity.