Research Methods for Education

Table of Contents:
About the Authors Acknowledgments Preface SECTION I: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Chapter 1—Introduction to Scientific Thinking 1.1 Science as a Method of Knowing 1.2 The Scientific Method: Relevance in Educational Research 1.3 Other Methods of Knowing 1.4 The Goals of Science 1.5 Approaches in Acquiring Knowledge 1.6 Distinguishing Science From Pseudoscience Chapter 2—Generating Testable Ideas 2.1 Generating Interesting and Novel Ideas 2.2 Converting Ideas to Hypotheses and Theories 2.3 Developing Your Idea: Deduction and Induction 2.4 Performing a Literature Review 2.5 Ethics in Focus: Giving Proper Credit 2.6 The “3 Cs” of an Effective Literature Review 2.7 Testing Your Idea: Confirmation and Disconfirmation 2.8 Ethics in Focus: Publication Bias Chapter 3—Research Ethics 3.1 Ethics in Educational Research 3.2 The Need for Ethics Committees in Research: A Historical Synopsis 3.3 Ethics in Focus: Classic Examples From Psychology 3.4 Human Participant Research: IRBs and the AERA Code of Conduct 3.5 Ethics in Focus: Anonymity and Confidentiality 3.6 Additional Ethical Considerations: Scientific Integrity SECTION II: DEFINING AND MEASURING VARIABLES, SELECTING SAMPLES, AND CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE RESEARCH DESIGN Chapter 4—Scientific Variables, Validity, and Reliability 4.1 Criteria for Defining and Measuring Variables 4.2 Constructs and Operational Definitions 4.3 Types of Variables 4.4 Scales of Measurement 4.5 Reliability of a Measurement 4.6 Validity of a Measurement 4.7 Intervention Fidelity 4.8 Selecting a Measurement Procedure 4.9 Ethics in Focus: Replication as a Gauge for Fraud? Chapter 5—Instrumentation 5.1 Classifying Data Collection Instruments 5.2 Tests and Measures 5.3 Types of Questionnaire Items 5.4 Rules for Writing Survey Items 5.5 Administering Questionnaires 5.6 Interviewing 5.7 Ethics in Focus: Maintaining Confidentiality of Collected Data Chapter 6—Sampling From Populations 6.1 Why Do Researchers Select Samples? 6.2 Subjects, Participants, and Sampling Methods 6.3 Methods of Sampling: Nonprobability Sampling 6.4 Methods of Sampling: Probability Sampling 6.5 Sampling Error and Standard Error of the Mean 6.6 Potential Biases in Sampling 6.7 Ethics in Focus: Research in Schools Chapter 7—Choosing a Research Design 7.1 Designing a Study to Answer a Question 7.2 Categories of Research Design 7.3 Internal and External Validity 7.4 Demonstrating Cause in an Experiment 7.5 Ethics in Focus: Beneficence and Random Assignment 7.6 Threats to the Internal Validity of a Research Study 7.7 Threats to the External Validity of a Research Study 7.8 External Validity, Experimentation, and Realism 7.9 A Final Thought on Validity and Choosing a Research Design SECTION III: NONEXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS Chapter 8—Naturalistic and Existing Data Research Designs Naturalistic Designs 8.1 An Overview of Naturalistic Design 8.2 The Research Setting: Natural and Contrived Settings 8.3 Techniques for Making Unobtrusive Observations 8.4 Making Observations 8.5 Ethics in Focus: Influencing Participant Behavior Existing Data Designs 8.6 An Overview of Existing Data Designs 8.7 Archival Research, Content Analysis, and Meta-Analysis 8.8 Ethics in Focus: Existing Data and Experimenter Bias Chapter 9—Survey and Correlational Research Designs Survey Designs 9.1 An Overview of Survey Designs 9.2 Surveys, Sampling, and Nonresponse Bias 9.3 Survey Methods 9.4 Ethics in Focus: Handling and Administering Surveys Correlational Designs 9.5 The Structure of Correlational Designs 9.6 Describing the Relationship Between Variables 9.7 Limitations in Interpretation 9.8 Correlation, Regression, and Prediction Chapter 10—Introduction to Qualitative Research 10.1 What Is Qualitative Research? 10.2 Foundations of Qualitative Research 10.3 Theoretical Perspectives in Qualitative Research 10.4 Steps in Qualitative Research 10.5 Role of the Researcher and Entry Into the Field 10.6 Sampling in Qualitative Research 10.7 Types of Qualitative Data 10.8 Ethics in Focus: Using the Internet in Qualitative Research Chapter 11—Phenomenology, Ethnography, and Ground Theory Designs 11.1 An Overview of Phenomenology Designs 11.2 An Example of Phenomenology Research 11.3 Considerations for Participant Self-Descriptions 11.4 An Overview of Ethnography Designs 11.5 Making Observations in Group Settings 11.6 An Example of Ethnography Research 11.7 An Overview of Netnography and Autoethnography Research 11.8 An Overview of Grounded Theory Designs 11.9 An Example of Grounded Theory Designs 11.10 Ethics in Focus: Anonymity in Qualitative Research Chapter 12—Narrative Inquiry, Case Study, and Critical Theory Designs Narrative Research Designs 12.1 An Overview of Narrative Research 12.2 Considerations for Narrative Inquiry 12.3 An Example of Narrative Research Case Study Designs 12.4 An Overview of Case Study Designs 12.5 Types of Case Study Designs 12.6 Combining Case Study Design With Quantitative Data Critical Theory Designs 12.7 An Overview of Critical Theory Designs 12.8 Types of Critical Theory Designs 12.9 Ethics in Focus: Retelling Human SECTION IV: QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL, EXPERIMENTAL, AND MIXED-METHODS RESEARCH DESIGNS Chapter 13—Quasi-Experimental and Single-Case Experimental Designs Quasi-Experimental Designs 13.1 An Overview of Quasi-Experimental Designs 13.2 One-Group Designs 13.3 Quasi-Experimental Design: Nonequivalent Control Group Designs 13.4 Quasi-Experimental Design: Time-Series Designs Single-Case Experimental Designs 13.5 An Overview of Single-Case Designs 13.6 Single-Case Baseline-Phase Designs 13.7 Application of Single-Case Designs in an Applied School Setting 13.8 Single-Case Designs in the Identification of Effective 13.9 Validity, Stability, Magnitude, and Generality 13.10 Ethics in Focus: The Ethics of Innovation Chapter 14—Experimental Designs: Between Subjects, Within Subjects, and Factorial 14.1 Conducting Experiments: Between-Subjects Design 14.2 Experimental Versus Control Group 14.3 Manipulation, Variability, and the Independent Variable 14.4 Ethics in Focus: The Accountability of Manipulation 14.5 Comparing Two or More Independent Samples 14.6 Conducting Experiments: Within-Subjects Design 14.7 Controlling Time-Related Factors 14.8 Comparing Two or More Related Samples 14.9 Comparing Between-Subjects and Within-Subjects Designs 14.10 Conducting Experiments: Factorial Experimental Designs 14.11 Types of Factorial Designs 14.12 Including Quasi-Independent Factors in an Experiment 14.13 Higher-Order Factorial Designs Chapter 15—Mixed-Methods Research Designs 15.1 An Overview of Mixed-Methods Research Designs 15.2 When Use of Mixed-Methods Research Designs Is Appropriate 15.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Mixed-Methods Research Design 15.4 Types of Mixed-Methods Research Designs 15.5 Conducting Mixed-Methods Research 15.6 Ethics in Focus: Minimizing Risk Associated With Qualitative and Quantitative Research SECTION V: APPLIED RESEARCH DESIGNS Chapter 16—Action Research 16.1 The Fundamentals of Action Research 16.2 Types of Action Research 16.3 The Process of Conducting Action Research 16.4 Ethics in Focus: Ethical Considerations in Action Research 16.5 Evaluation of Action Research Chapter 17—Program Evaluation 17.1 The Fundamentals of Program Evaluation 17.2 Difference Between Program Evaluation and Research 17.3 Program Evaluation Standards 17.4 Utility and Importance of Program Evaluation 17.5 Ethics in Focus: Considerations for Protecting the Welfare of Stakeholders 17.6 Models for Program Evaluation 17.7 Steps in Program Evaluation SECTION VI: ANALYZING, INTERPRETING, AND COMMUNICATING RESEARCH DATA Chapter 18—Analysis and Interpretation: Exposition of Data 18.1 Descriptive Statistics: Why Summarize Data? 18.2 Frequency Distributions: Tables and Gra 18.3 Measures of Central Tendency 18.4 Measures of Variability 18.5 Graphing Means and Correlations 18.6 Using Correlation to Describe Reliability 18.7 Standard Scores, z Scores, Percentile Ranks, and Age/Grade Equivalents 18.8 Ethics in Focus: Deception Due to the Distortion of Data Chapter 19—Analysis and Interpretation: Making Inferences About Data 19.1 Inferential Statistics: What Are We Making Inferences About? 19.2 Types of Error and Power 19.3 Parametric Tests: Applying the Decision Tree 19.4 Main Effects and Interactions 19.5 Identifying Main Effects and Interactions in a Graph 19.6 Correlation and Regression 19.7 Nonparametric Tests: Applying the Decision Tree 19.8 Effect Size: How Big Is an Effect in the Population? 19.9 Estimation: What Are the Possible Values of a Parameter? 19.10 Confidence Intervals, Significance, and Effect Size 19.11 Issues for Interpretation: Precision and Certainty 19.12 Ethics in Focus: Full Disclosure of Data Chapter 20—Analysis and Interpretation: Making Inferences About Qualitative Data 20.1 Qualitative Versus Quantitative Data Analysis 20.2 Decisions About How to Record Narrative Data 20.3 Decisions About Quantitative Data Analysis and Interpretation 20.4 General Process of Qualitative Data Analysis 20.5 Qualitative Coding Tools 20.6 Interpretations Made Using Different Qualitative Designs in the Data Analysis Process 20.7 Criteria of Trustworthiness 20.8 Ethics in Focus: Confidentiality Chapter 21—Communicating Research: Preparing Manuscripts, Posters, and Talks 21.1 Elements of Communication 21.2 Writing a Manuscript: Writing Style and Language 21.3 Elements of an APA-Style Manuscript 21.4 Literature Reviews 21.5 Reporting Observations in Qualitative Research 21.6 Ethics in Focus: Credit and Authorship 21.7 Presenting a Poster 21.8 Giving a Professional Talk Appendix A: APA-Style Writing, Sample Manuscript, and Posters A.1 Essentials for Writing APA-Style Research Papers A.2 Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (GPS) Writing Guide A.3 Sample APA-Style Manuscript A.4 Poster Template and Sample Poster Appendix B: Instructions for Randomizing and Counterbalancing B.1 Random Numbers Table B.2 Constructing a Latin Square Glossary References Index

About the Author :
Gregory J. Privitera is a three-time national-award-winning author and a professor of psychology at St. Bonaventure University where he is a recipient of its highest teaching honor, The Award for Professional Excellence in Teaching, and its highest honor for scholarship, The Award for Professional Excellence in Research and Publication. Dr. Privitera received his PhD in behavioral neuroscience in the field of psychology at the State University of New York at Buffalo and continued with his postdoctoral research at Arizona State University. His texts span diverse topics in psychology and the behavioral sciences and include an introductory psychology text, three statistics texts, two research methods texts, and multiple other texts bridging knowledge creation across health, health care, and analytics. In addition, Dr. Privitera has authored more than three dozen peer-reviewed papers aimed at advancing our understanding of health, health literacy, and informing policy in health care. His research has earned recognition by the American Psychological Association and in media to include Oprah’s Magazine, Time Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. He mentors a variety of undergraduate research projects at St. Bonaventure University, where dozens of students, many of whom have gone on to earn graduate and doctoral degrees at various institutions, have coauthored and presented research work. In addition to his teaching, research, and advisement, Dr. Privitera is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, is an identical twin, and is married with two daughters, Grace Ann and Charlotte Jane, and two sons, Aiden Andrew and Luca James.   

Review :
"A great text to highlight the applied nature of research methods in education." "Outstanding, clear, easy to read, and user-friendly for students. The activities and review questions provide very good reinforcement of the content. Students will love this text and it will make the course fun to teach." "This text is very readable and accessible to nearly every student, and filled with clear, direct explanations of all the basic terminology of educational research. It also provides excellent examples to illustrate the application of the contents of the course to actual research situations in education." "The book is highly understandable with clear definitions and examples of concepts and how to conduct components of various types of educational research. The pedagogical features allow students to learn the materials in an effective manner. [It is] a very user-friendly text for students who might be intimidated by having to take a research course." "The text is very well organized and conveys information in an easily understandable manner with examples that are related to experiences that students can identify with." "…thorough and easy to understand, I think students will respond well to this text." "[This] book is excellent for educational research. The simplicity with which the book is written is phenomenal and it makes the book easy to read and understand. It will appeal to instructors, students and individuals interested in educational research. The features and activities in the book will definitely improve student learning engagement." "Research Methods for Education is an excellent textbook that covers information on educational research design including qualitative, quantitative, and action research in education. It provides great information which is easy to understand for students to learn and instructors to teach. The text is writing in a non-technical way for better comprehension and understanding by students. The authors present great Learning Checks for students to complete self-checks of the understanding of materials as well as good review questions and learning activities."    "[This text is] the most detailed and the well-organized textbook for the research study especially for the beginners." "[Privitera and Ahlgrim-Delzell’s] text is highly useful, accessible, and thorough in its descriptions of research procedures. The project-based approach makes it practical for classroom use while retaining its scholastic legitimacy."