About the Book
Lecturers, why waste time waiting for the post to arrive? Click on the above icon and receive your e-inspection copy today!
'Whether embarking on research as an undergraduate or for a doctorate, Gary Thomas' book will be of great value to you. It is refreshingly different from other books about doing research: it's informative, well-written, wide-ranging yet sufficiently detailed and above all it's enjoyable to read! I recommend it highly'.
Professor Peter Earley, Institute of Education, University of London
Are you doing a research project? Do you need advice on how to carry out research?
Using practical examples, this book takes you through what should happen at each phase in the project's schedule. Gary Thomas explains the main design frames and methods of data collection and analysis used in education and social science research, and provides down to earth advice on how to weave these elements together into a coherent whole.
Structured according to the main phases of doing a project, the book covers
· deciding your topic and your research question
· project management and study skills
· doing a literature review
· methodology and research design
· design frames
· ethics and access
· how to analyse the information you gather
· discussing findings, theorising, concluding and writing up
This book is an essential read for undergraduate, postgraduate, CPD and doctoral students undertaking a project in the applied social sciences.
Comments from tutors:
'I loved this book! It brought research methods alive': Gill Richards ,Nottingham Trent University
'Unputdownable': Joy Jarvis ,University of Hertfordshire
'Accessible and encouraging style': Neil Stott ,Nottingham Trent University
Comments from students:
'Brilliant': Alison Patterson
'Love the visual models': Susan Allan
'Filled me with optimism': Anne Cowan
'Very entertaining as well as extremely useful': Viv Brown
Gary Thomas is Professor of Education at the University of Birmingham.
Table of Contents:
Your Introduction: Starting points
Project Management
The Literature Review
Decide on Your Question - Again
Deciding on an Approach: Methodology and Research Design
The Design Frame
Practical Matters
The Right Tools for the Job: Data-Gathering
How to Analyze the Information You Gather
Concluding
About the Author :
Gary Thomas is an emeritus professor of education at the University of Birmingham. His teaching and research have focused on inclusion, special education, and research methodology in education, with a particular focus on case study. He has conducted research funded by the AHRC, the ESRC, the Nuffield Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, the Department for Education, Barnardos, local authorities, and a range of other organisations. He has coedited the British Educational Research Journal and is currently an executive editor of Educational Review. He is author of many books, most recently Education: A Very Short Introduction published by Oxford University Press.
Review :
'Academic staff should make this part of their essential reading. Thomas has succeeded in thinking through the research process and sharing a perspective that offers clarity, wit, wisdom and common sense' - British Educational Research Journal 'This book is well written, accessible, and strips away a lot of the mystery associated with research endeavour. At the same time, it is rigorous and thought-provoking' - SENCO Update 'I would like to congratulate the author on the clarity, accessibility, wit and excellent illustrations/examples. I have recommended it to our doctoral students' - Judy Sebba, University of Sussex 'With effortless language devoid of jargon, [Gary Thomas] covers practicalities like ethics, research tools and data gathering, and how to analyse information...This book will help all researchers, whether at the undergraduates or PhD level, to think, inquire and actually do research' - Youth Studies Australia 'Gary Thomas's book is the most accessible and useful book I have yet found for students who are beginning research...It manages to deal with potentially difficult issues in a direct and unpretentious way' - Professor Neil Mercer, University of Cambridge 'This is a splendid contribution for enhancing research capacity. In combining balance, accessibility and vigour, it models an impact strategy to which TLRP has been pleased ton contribute' - Andrew Pollard, Teaching and Learning Research Programme 'I liked the style which is clear and informative, the short anecdotes and humour, and the contents since it covers the really important stuff. I kept smiling to myself since the book is crammed full of the 'craft' of doing research so maybe this book is as much for supervisors as it is for students. But what I liked most was the clear portrayal of complexity. It gives access to the subtle and the difficult aspects of doing research - that is, the revelation of the complexity' - Dr John Prosser, University of Leeds 'Whether embarking on research as an undergraduate or for a doctorate, Gary Thomas' book will be of great value to you. It is refreshingly different from other books about doing research: it's informative, well-written, wide-ranging yet sufficiently detailed and above all it's enjoyable to read! I recommend it highly' - Professor Peter Earley, Institute of Education, University of London 'I would definitely buy the book!' 'Exceedingly useful...I loved the language (not too complicated) and tone...readable.' 'I thought this was wonderful and pulled together things I had used several books to find. For me, it 'cut to the chase' on some of the complex terminology and also gave insight in to how important and relevant each part was.' 'I find it so clear, love the visual models, and the language is so simple...It has practical hints...as I read it I didn't feel a great weight being laden upon me (which some books do make you feel).' 'I loved this book! It brought 'research methods' alive. I have read so many 'dense' books on the subject that almost kill the joy of doing research, particularly for new researchers who are trying to understand how the theoretical part fits with the practice! I really liked the 'road maps' - a great start and useful as an introductory discussion tool...I like the way that [it covers] potentially complex issues in an uncomplicated way. The approach takes the reader step-by-step through the research journey in a way that talks the reader through what needs to be considered and why, with unpretentious language...I really enjoyed this book and will definitely have it on my reading list.' 'Gary Thomas's book is the most accessible and useful book I have yet found for students who are beginning research...It manages to deal with potentially difficult issues in a direct and unpretentious way' - Professor Neil Mercer, University of Cambridge 'This is a splendid contribution for enhancing research capacity. In combining balance, accessibility and vigour, it models an impact strategy to which TLRP has been pleased ton contribute' - Andrew Pollard, Teaching and Learning Research Programme 'I liked the style which is clear and informative, the short anecdotes and humour, and the contents since it covers the really important stuff. I kept smiling to myself since the book is crammed full of the 'craft' of doing research so maybe this book is as much for supervisors as it is for students' - Dr John Prosser, University of Leeds 'Whether embarking on research as an undergraduate or for a doctorate, Gary Thomas' book will be of great value to you. It is refreshingly different from other books about doing research: it's informative, well-written, wide-ranging yet sufficiently detailed and above all it's enjoyable to read! I recommend it highly' - Professor Peter Earley, Institute of Education, University of London 'I LOVED this book. It's the best book I've read on research methodology' - Gail Edwards, Newcastle University '[This book] is, I'm pleased to say a significant cut above the rest. The nice thing about this version of the introduction to the 'research journey', is not so much what is covered, but the way in which it is done...He brings to the discussion an authority which is grounded in his experience as an empirical researcher and a frequent and well known commentator on methodology and theory. The referencing back to his own empirical studies works very well...Needless to say like all good scholarly texts, this of course is also meshed with examples drawn from the work of other researchers to provide an insightful methodological critique and commentary...The advice given is both pragmatic and methodologically informative Journal of Education for Teaching The author of this very ambitious book is aiming at addressing a vast audience of undergraduate, doctoral and postgraduate research students involved in an actual research project...the easy to read and extensive use of graphical images and examples makes me highly recommend this book especially to undergraduate students carrying out their projects and also PhD and doctoral students at the preliminary stages of their research.International Journal of Research and Method in Education
