Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Applications, Global Edition, 11th edition

For courses in Introduction to Research Methods (Educational Research)

Comprehensive yet accessible

The updated Eleventh Edition of Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Applications introduces research mainly at a how-to skill and application level. A total instructional system, the book includes stated learning outcomes, instruction, and procedures for evaluating each outcome. It supports readers as they develop expertise in research, learning key concepts and skills and becoming involved in the research process itself. The authors take a down-to-earth approach that helps the reader become both an educational researcher and a competent consumer of educational research.

From reviews of the book:

Entire text is very accessible through both language and visual aids; easy to understand examples for nearly every situation described in the text; beginning researchers will appreciate the attentiveness to context, while more experienced students will find a comprehensive text that expertly connects the many intertwining elements of the research process.

Lauren Saenz, Boston College

[T]he numerous summary tables organize and consolidate the material in one convenient place . end-of-chapter summaries are especially well done presented in a topical format [and help] students to review the material end-of-chapter tasks [are] especially helpful to students who dont quite know how to get started on the task.

Dwight R. Gard, Texas Tech University

[T]he authors writing style is instructive, engaging and at a level that is appropriate for any graduate student seeking a general understanding of research methods. The objectives and summary tables at the beginning of the chapter focus the students attention on the important ideas numbered steps and examples provide clarification, especially where procedures are involved. The tasks and examples presented at the end of the chapter add relevancy to the chapter topics.

Jann W. MacInnes, University of Florida

This title is a Pearson Global Edition. The Editorial team at Pearson has worked closely with educators around the world to include content which is especially relevant to students outside the United States.

Opportunities to read and evaluate published research. Exemplary articles, originally published in peer-reviewed journals, are included in the introductory and all research methods chapters. Annotations guide the reader to understand and evaluate qualitative and quantitative research. (See pages 231-239 and 251-265 for examples.) Step-by-step guidance on an individual research project. End-of-chapter Tasks are included in many chapters to guide readers through the process of conducting and writing about their own research. (See pages 89, 137, 191, and 215 for examples.) Support for writing. The new Write Like a Researcher feature encourages new researchers to start writing early in the research process and provides practical guidance to help them write effectively. (See pages 109 and 151 for examples.) Technology tools and applications. The Digital Research Tools for the 21st Century feature introduces technology tools researchers can use to make the process of doing research more efficient and effective, like using speech recognition programs to save time transcribing interviews. (See pages 100-101 and 202-203 for examples.)

Key content changes include:

Reorganization of the chapters. Specifically, Part II, Research Designs, now includes all of the research design chapters that, in previous editions, were separated into separate parts for quantitative research designs and for qualitative research designs. Part III, Working with Quantitative and Qualitative Data, brings together discussions of descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and qualitative data collection and analysis.

Annotations for all the complete journal articles. Both descriptive and reflective annotations help to support and organize students reading and analysis of sophisticated research reports. (See pages 231-239 and 251-265 for examples.)

A focus on writing. The new Write Like a Researcher feature encourages students to begin writing early, with a dedicated purpose. (See pages 109 and 151 for examples.)

Updated content on experimental design. Expanded discussions on validity within an experimental design, the importance of computing effect size and power, and how and when to use a quasi-experimental design. (See Chapter 8.)

New categories of mixed methods designs. Introduction of a two-tiered approach to mixed methods research (basic and advanced designs), with a greater emphasis on the purpose of each design. (See Chapter 15.)

New presentations of statistical software. Graphics show menu-driven statistical calculations and output from the most recent versions of Excel and SPSS. (See Chapters 17 and 18.)