Fundamentals of Educational Research

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Section I. Fundamental Information about Research 1 The Nature of Research: An Overview Why Should Educators Have to Know about Research? The Scope of Educational Research Variables in Empirical Research Populations and Samples Types of Educational Research Section II. Developing a Research Idea 2 Selecting a Research Topic What is a Topic? Getting Started with a Research Topic Combining Interest with Feasibility Sources of Research Ideas Gradually Narrowing a Topic Generating a Researchable Topic from a Published Study Examples of Student Research Topics 3 Reviewing the Literature The Purpose of Reviewing the Literature Reviewing a Broad Topic of Interest Reviewing a Research Question Locating Pertinent Information Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Reference Tools Produced by ERIC Exceptional Child Educational Resources (ECER) Education Index The Psychological Research Literature Using Cited References Social Science Citation Index Conducting a Manual Literature Search Bibliographic Citations Notetaking What To Do If You Find No Studies Related to Your Topic Non-empirical Articles 4 Formatting Research Hypotheses Defining Variables Sets of Values Operational Definitions Variables and Hypotheses Pseudohyphotheses Hypotheses and the Related Literature Generating Your Own Hypothesis Section III. Preliminary Considerations in Designing Research 5 Ethical and Legal Aspects of Conducting Research Research Ethics Legal Aspects of Conducting Research 6 Sampling: Choosing Participants for a Study Samples as Representations of Populations Methods for Selecting a Sample Sample Size in Students'' Research Projects Sampling in Ethnographic Studies 7 Evaluating, Locating, and Constructing Measuring Instruments Measuring Instruments and Operational Definitions Reliability and Validity Determining Reliability Reliability of Different Kinds of Tests Determining Validity Construct Validity Content Validity Criterion Related Validity Selecting Measuring Instruments Section IV. Understanding Statistics 8 Descriptive Statistics and the Normal Curve Statistical Treatment of Data Scales of Measurement Averages or Measures of Central Tendency Variability Measures of Variability Averages of Variability The Relationship Between Two Variables Measures of Relationship Interpreting Correlation Coefficients The Normal Distribution Standard Scores (z Scores) 9 Inferential Statistics an Statistical Significance Answering Research Questions Populations and Samples Statistical Significance and Probability Degrees of Freedom Using Inferential Statistics in Actual Studies Statistical Tests of Significance Probability and Levels of Significance Type I and Type II Errors Statistical and Practical Significance Complex Statistical Analyses Section V. Research Methods 10 Historical Research Historical Data Selection of Refinement of Historical Topics External and Internal Criticisms Critically Reviewing Historical Research Revisionist History 11 Ethnographic Research Characteristics of Ethnographic Methods Qualitative Educational Research Common Questions about Qualitative Research Fieldwork Analyzing and Interpreting Qualitative Data Evaluating Qualitative Studies 12 Descriptive Research (Quantitative) Surveys Kinds of Surveys Observational Studies Sampling: The Critical Issue in Descriptive Research Reporting Findings of Descriptive research 13 Correlational Research The Objective of Correlational Methods Correlation and Causality Hypotheses in Correlational Studies Multiple and Partial Correlation Simple and Multiple Regression 14 Group Comparison Research Types of Group Comparison/ Interdependent and Dependent Variables Ex Post Facto (or Casual Comparative Designs) Internal and External Validity of Experiments and Quasi-Experiments Threats to Internal Validity Experiments Random Assignment and Sample Size Quasi-Experiments Problems Associated with Pretests The Hawthorne Effect The John Henry Effect Statistical Analyses of Group Comparisons 15 Single-Subject Research Characteristics of Single-Subject Studies Baseline and Treatment Conditions Replication Analyzing Data from Single-Subject Studies Section VI. Guidelines for Writing and Evaluating Research 16 Writing and Evaluating research Reports Proposals and Final Reports: Differences and Similarities Writing Styles Sections of a Final Report *These helpful learning aids appear in every chapter. Citing References Guidelines for Evaluating Published Research How Many Pages and How Many References Section VII. Technology and Educational Research 17 The Cutting Edge: Using Technology in Educational Research Conducting a Computer Search of the Literature Using Computers in Qualitative Research Using Computers in Quanitative Research Other Uses of Technology Appendices