Jean McNiff is Professor of Educational Research at York St John University, UK, and also holds Visiting Professorships at the University of Tromsø, Norway; the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa; and Beijing Normal University and Ningxia Teachers University, People’s Republic of China. Prior to her work in higher education she was a teacher and deputy head teacher in a large secondary school in the south of England. She took early retirement, went into business for herself (running a seaside gift shop), and then moved by invitation into higher education because of the interest in her writing and ideas.