Exploring Educational Research Literacy

Exploring Educational Research Literacy offers beginning classroom teachers a comprehensive introduction to the topic of educational research literacy—that is, the ability to read educational research articles in a systemic and critical way. Many beginning teacher education students are expected to be familiar with the latest research in their field, but are not necessarily researchers themselves. In fact, many new students have had little exposure to educational research. In this accessible text, Gary Shank and Launcelot Brown give students step-by-step guidance through the often baffling process of learning a new 'language' of research methods. Using clear and friendly language, and employing simple articles created to introduce students to important ideas in an engaging manner, Exploring Educational Research Literacy gives students the tools to shift from being passive consumers of research to active and critical readers capable of evaluating research and judging the usefulness of the findings for educational practice. Features include: Downloadable resources including ten real research articles and eight "training" articles: Each lets students practice their research literacy skills and includes a list of questions to guide students in their reading" 'Practice Makes Perfect': end of the chapter reflection activities that prompt students to apply research skills described in each chapter Article Literacy Checklist: a guide to help students read research articles critically Glossary of key terms Clear and engaging style: Exploring Educational Research Literacy is written so that even students who are new to educational research can gain a clear understanding of and ability to apply the special skills needed to read research articles

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Basic Quantitative Literacy 3. Basic Statistical Literacy 4. Basic Qualitative Literacy 5. Titles and Opening Points 6. The Abstract 7. Introductions 8. Methods and Procedures 9. Qualitative Findings and Results 10. Quantitative Findings and Results 11. Discussions and Conclusions 12. Understanding Mixed Methods Articles 13. Becoming a Personal Reviewer 14. From Consumer to Critic

About the Author :
Gary Shank is a Professor of Educational Research at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. His specialties include research literacy, qualitative research methodology, and semiotic theory. His research interests focus on learning in informal settings, and has worked with a number of settings including the Smithsonian Institution. Launcelot Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership at Duquesne University. He teaches courses in statistics for the behavioral sciences and research methods and design.

Review :
Jeanne M. McGlinn, Professor of Education, Director of Humanities University of North Carolina at Asheville " I would use a text like this to introduce students to the research process and to help them understand the basics of writing a research report. Although the book is intended to teach students how to read research articles, it explains the research report so clearly that students, studying the parts of the research report, could learn how to write such a report effectively. . . I recommend that this book be accepted for publication. It fills an important niche for the instructor looking for a clear, straight-forward explanation of basic research and research report principles." Lisa C. Yamagata-Lynch, Assistant Professor, ETRA, Northern Illinois University "I do recommend this book for publication. If published I would use it for my masters level introductory educational research course. This is a book that fills a hole in educational research texts. So many texts are written with the assumption that all graduate students would be engaging in a culminating thesis at the end of their educational career. With the current trend in Master’s education especially in the field of education where this is no longer true, students really need to be trained to become wise consumers of research. The purpose of this book exactly meets this need." Cynthia Ledbetter, Head, Science/Mathematics Education, The University of Texas at Dallas "The perspective of this book is novel; it is not 'leading edge' but proposes a useful method for helping students make the tnansition from uneducated reader to that of research critic. As precollege teachers seeking master's degrees come more often from business and industry rather than from university certification programs, it is important that they are 'brought up to speed' on the research theory that forms the basis for our field of study. This book would allow those of us who teach at the university level to provide some concrete materials that show how to function in our research world."