Applying Educational Research

Applying Educational Research

Applying Educational Research: How to Read, Do, and Use Research to Solve Problems of Practice

This text is intended for instructors who emphasize teaching students how to locate, read, and interpret, and apply the findings of educational research studies. This revision addresses how to design and conduct a research study in more detail. The text includes numerous recent, published research articles involving high-interest problems of educational practice. The chapters, which treat quantitative, qualitative, and applied forms of educational research, stand alone, allowing instructors to choose those they want to cover. This text brings research alive for educators by introducing readers to people who actually “do” research. Designed for courses focused primarily on applying, rather than conducting research, it includes 13 actual research articles, reprinted in their entirety. The book makes no assumptions about readers' prior knowledge of research or statistics. This text builds students' confidence so that they are able to successfully read research reports and research. For the first time, readers will see the relevance of research to educational practice.

Applying Educational Research

Applying Educational Research focuses on relating research to practice, helping educators see the relevance of research to their daily work. This goal of making research relevant is accomplished by focusing on current “problems of practice.” Each chapter highlights a set of important issues for teachers, students, and schools–-issues like teacher evaluation, the effectiveness of close-reading strategies, and the use of computer-supported instruction. The research examples and articles in the chapter then address these issues, providing students a meaningful context for the information they are learning about research methods. Through this approach, students learn about the research process and current research on topics that directly impact practice. From reviews of the text: The writing style of the textbook is excellent . . . . Writing clarity for content builds from one paragraph to another. . . . The Gall, Gall, and Borg textbook is the only text I would consider for [my Master’s-level research course]. Because the authors are scholars and practitioners, they bring a depth and range to the topic of educational research that is unsurpassed." --Vikki K. Collins, Troy University "The writing style is very clear. I find it easy to read and navigate among the chapters. Most graduate students in my class will not have any problems reading the book. The authors provide a very gentle introduction to educational research. . . . The authors adopt a balanced view of educational research. . . . They have explained most of the quantitative analyses used in educational research, and they have explicated the major theories of qualitative research. They have introduced the research techniques in a clear manner accessible to a broad audience inside and outside of the education field." --Xiaofeng Steven Lui, University of South Carolina