Balanced and authoritative, this volume brings together leading experts to present thirteen methodologies widely used in literacy research. Following a consistent format, each chapter describes the methodology at hand, identifies the types of questions and claims for which it is well suited, de-lineates clear standards for quality, and presents one or more exemplary studies using the methodology. Studies are cited in each chapter and can be easily referenced and the chapters follow similar formats, making this an easy text to use.
Guiding readers to choose wisely from available methodologies when designing their own research endeavors, and to understand the contributions that each mode of inquiry can generate - this is an essential text for graduate students in literacy. It is also an ideal resource for more experienced researchers seeking to build their skills for utilizing or evaluating particular approaches.
Table of Contents:
Mallette, Duke, Introduction. Barone, Case-Study Research. Stanovich, Cunningham, Inferences from Correlational Data: Exploring Associations with Reading Experience. Florio-Ruane, Morrell, Discourse Analysis: Conversation. Goldman, Wiley, Discourse Analysis: Written Text. Purcell-Gates, Ethnographic Research. Vellutino, Schatschneider, Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Design in Literacy Research. Reinking, Bradley, Connecting Research and Practice Using Formative and Design Experiments. Stahl, Hartman, Doing Historical Research on Literacy. Henk, McKenna, Developing Affective Instrumentation for Use in Literacy Research. Bus, van IJzendoorn, Meta-Analysis in Reading Research. Fletcher, Simos, Papanicolaou, Denton, Neuroimaging in Reading Research. Baumann, Bason, Survey Research. Pressley, Hilden, Verbal Protocols of Reading. Dressman, McCarthey, Toward a Pragmatics of Epistemology, Methodology, and Other People's Theories in Literacy Research. Duke, Mallette, Conclusion, Appendix: Alphabetical Listing of the Exemplars.
About the Author :
Nell K. Duke, EdD, is Associate Professor of Teacher Education and Educational Psychology, and Co-Director of the Literacy Achievement Research Center (msularc.org) at Michigan State University, East Lansing. Her research focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include development of informational literacies in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. She has used a variety of research methodologies in her own work and teaches courses on research design. Dr. Duke has a strong interest in the preparation of educational researchers and has published and presented on this topic. Marla H. Mallette, PhD, is Associate Professor of Literacy Education at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Her research interests include literacy teacher education, literacy instruction and learning with students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and the convergence of early literacy and technology. She is very interested in research methodologies and has used various methodologies in her own work. Dr. Mallette has also published and presented on literacy research methodologies and the preparation of literacy researchers.
Review :
"This book is a significant contribution to the field of literacy and especially to the education of future consumers and producers of literacy research... we found the book to be just right for doctoral students' initial exposure to literacy research." - Michelle Cournoyer Picard & Marcia Invernizzi, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia - Journal of Literacy Research, vol. 39
