The authors of this book have been discussing the issues addressed within it with each other for two decades. For about the same period of time we have been discussing—from a philosophical perspective—issues that arise in the design and conduct of educational research with colleagues who are active researchers, and with graduate students in our classes who were about to become active researchers. We have profited enormously from the feedback we have received from these interactions over the years, and from the insights into the “nuts and bolts” of research that these others have shared with us. Either singly or together, we also have had lively discussions bearing on the topics in this book with philosophical friends and colleagues in the international community, and we are especially appreciative of the time we have spent talking with Harvey Siegel, Deborah Kerdeman, Nel Noddings, Robert Floden, James Marshall, and Michael Peters. Denis Phillips has had the opportunity to present workshops on this material to researchers and graduate students in Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, where he learned much from the somewhat different views and assumptions about educational research that are held there. Our wives, Valerie and Joyce, have been pillars of support but at the same time the friendliest of critics. Finally, we wish to thank Jill Rothenberg and Dean Birkenkamp of Rowman and Littlefield, who have encouraged and shepherded this project from its initial conception.