Description

This text is intended for instructors who emphasize teaching students how to locate, read, and interpret, and apply the findings of educational research studies. This revision addresses how to design and conduct a research study in more detail.

The text includes numerous recent, published research articles involving high-interest problems of educational practice. The chapters, which treat quantitative, qualitative, and applied forms of educational research, stand alone, allowing instructors to choose those they want to cover. This text brings research alive for educators by introducing readers to people who actually “do” research. Designed for courses focused primarily on applying, rather than conducting research, it includes 13 actual research articles, reprinted in their entirety. The book makes no assumptions about readers' prior knowledge of research or statistics. This text builds students' confidence so that they are able to successfully read research reports and research. For the first time, readers will see the relevance of research to educational practice.

Features

• The text provides detailed treatment of how to locate, read, review, and apply the findings of research reports in the education literature. The 13 reprinted research reports cover all the major quantitative research methods and qualitative research approaches discussed in the text.
• Original researcher's comments accompanying each reprinted article address many of the challenges and opportunities involved in the design, conduct, and reporting of research.
• A balanced approach to both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Accessible coverage on statistical analysis provides a non-threatening introduction to the basic techniques needed to apply or conduct research. (Ch. 6 ). The reprinted research reports include footnotes, prepared by the authors, that explain specialized statistics or refer to book pages where the statistics are discussed.
• Updated treatment of action research (Ch. 15) shows students how they can conduct research projects in their work settings in order to improve their practice or solve work-related problems.
• Chapter-opening vignettes introduce the ideas of the chapter and show how a typical student benefits from learning the information presented in the chapter.
• Provides strong coverage on the most recent computer search procedures for applying research.
• End-of-chapter multiple-choice questions allow students to monitor their comprehension.

New to this Edition

• NEW! Seven of the 13 research articles, all published since 2000, are new to this edition. Each of the 13 articles is a well designed, reported example of the research method it illustrates. More diverse article sources, including a wider variety of journals, topics, and specializations, expose students to a myriad of research avenues.
• Careful updates and revisions throughout the text reflect current educational research and practice.
• NEW! The examples for outlining a research proposal show students how the various elements of a research study are designed.
• New updates of research examples, inclusion of Resources for Further Study, and appendices reflecting current issues in education and new trends in research methodology.
• Updated treatment of qualitative research, including major revisions of Chapter 12, “Critical-Theory Research” and Chapter 15, “Action Research.”
• Numerous new tables and figures have been added to further clarity and readability
• New Research Proposal Guide can be packaged for FREE with this text.

Table of Contents

PART I: INTRODUCTION

 

Chapter 1    Using Research Evidence to Improve Educational Practice

  

Chapter 2    Doing Your Own Research: From Proposal to Final Report

 

PART II: APPLYING EXISTING RESEARCH STUDIES TO PROBLEMS

   OF PRACTICE

 

Chapter 3    Conducting and Writing Your Own Literature Review

 

Chapter 4    Using Search Engines in a Literature Review

 

Chapter 5    Making Use of Available Literature Reviews 

 

PART III: USING QUANTITATIVE METHODOLOGY TO STUDY

  PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE

 

Chapter 6    Analyzing and Evaluating Reports of Quantitative Research Studies

 

Chapter 7    Using Descriptive Statistics to Study Problems of Practice

 

Chapter 8    The Practical Significance of Statistical Results

 

Chapter 9    Tests of Statistical Significance 

 

Chapter 10 Descriptive Research 

 

Chapter 11 Group-Comparison Research 

 

Chapter 12 Correlational Research

  

Chapter 13 Experimental Research

  

PART IV: USING QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY TO STUDY

  PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE

 

Chapter 14 Case Study Research

 

Chapter 15 Narrative Research 

 

Chapter 16 Ethnographic and Critical Ethnographic Research

 

Chapter 17 Historical Research  

  

PART V: COMBINING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGIES TO STUDY PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE  

 

Chapter 18 Mixed-Methods Research

 

PART VI: USING OTHER METHODOLOGIES TO STUDY PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE

 

Chapter 19    Action Research

Chapter 20 Evaluation Research

 

SELF-CHECK TEST ANSWERS

 

 

APPENDICES

1. Guide for Outlining a Quantitative  or Qualitative Research Proposal

2. Questions To Ask Yourself When Evaluating a Report of a Quantitative Study

3. Questions to Ask Yourself When Evaluating a Report of a Qualitative Study

4. Design-Specific Questions to Ask Yourself When Evaluating a Research Report