Reading and Understanding Research

This edition contains new material on the twelve steps for doing different types of research studies, a new chapter on the utilization of research, and expanded coverage of qualitative research topics. The authors presume no special background in research, and begin by introducing and framing the notion of reading research within a wider social context. Next they offer insight on when to seek out research, locating and selecting the right reports, and how to help evaluate research for trustworthiness. A step-by-step reading of reports from qualitative and quantitative studies follows, and the final chapters examine in greater detail the different types of research to be encountered and how to examine the research more critically.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Why This Book? Problems With Reports Problems With Research Summary The Research Report Finding Valuables in Research Reports What Is a Research Report? When to Believe What You Read: The Sources of Credibility Who Does Research and Where Do They Do It? Believing What You Read in Research: The Foundations of Trust Reasons to Suspend Trust in Research Summary How to Select and Read Research Reports Getting Started: Selecting Research Reports How to Read Research Reports Staying Organized: Studying and Recording What You Read Reading and Recording From Quantitative Research Reports Reading and Recording From Qualitative Research Reports Reading and Recording From Research Reviews Explaining Research: A Tool for Learning How to Read Reports Types of Research: An Overview Generic Issues in Research Types of Research Qualitative Research Concluding Comments About Types of Research Reading Reports of Quantitative Research-Critically Introduction: The Five Basic Questions What Is the Report About? How Does the Study Fit Into What Is Already Known? How Was the Study Done? What Was Found? What Do the Results Mean? Reading Reports of Qualitative Research-Critically Expectations for Qualitative Reports: The Generic and General Standards Expectations for Qualitative Reports: The Specific and Individual Standards Expectations for Qualitative Studies: A Critical Look Behind the Report Concluding Remarks Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography of Supplementary References Appendix B: Examples of Completed 12 Step Forms and Flowcharts Appendix C: Statistics: A Beginner's Guide References Index About the Authors

About the Author :
Lawrence F. Locke is Professor Emeritus of Education and Physical Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. A native of Connecticut, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Springfield College and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has written extensively on the production and utilization of research on teaching and teacher education. He has authored a number of books designed to assist non-specialists with the tasks of reading and understanding research. After many years residing in Sunderland, MA he now makes his home on Cape Cod, but with his wife, Professor Lorraine Goyette, he has spent much of each year writing, running, and exploring the Beartooth Mountains at Sky Ranch in Reed Point, MT. Stephen J. Silverman is Professor of Education and Chair of the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is a native of Philadelphia and holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University, a master’s degree from Washington State University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His research focuses on teaching and learning in physical education and on methods for conducting research in field settings. He has authored numerous research articles and chapters, and is coauthor of a number of books. He has served as editor of two research journals, is an experienced research consultant, has directed graduate students, and has, for many years, taught classes in research methods, statistics, and measurement. He enjoys running, following politics, and aquatic sports, and lives with his wife, Patricia Moran, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His website is: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/ss928 Waneen Wyrick Spirduso is the Mauzy Regents Professor Emerita in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a native of Austin and holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from The University of Texas and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research focuses on the effects of aging and the mechanisms of motor control. She has been a prolific contributor to the research literature and has authored textbooks related to research methods and aging. She taught research methods and directed student research for more than four decades and has received numerous research grants from the federal government and foundations. She plays golf and rows, and lives with her husband, Craig Spirduso, in Austin, TX. Her website is http://www.edb.utexas.edu/coe/depts/kin/faculty/spirduso/index.html