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Practical Research: Planning and Design, 12th edition

Published by Pearson (February 9, 2018) © 2019

  • Paul D. Leedy Late of The American University
  • Jeanne Ellis Ormrod University of Northern Colorado (Emerita)

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For introductory research methods courses in any area of study.

An engaging, cross-disciplinary guide to research methodology

Practical Research is a do-it-yourself, how-to manual for planning and conducting research. Suitable for a wide variety of courses in basic research methodology, the book uses a conversational tone, step-by-step instructions and practical suggestions to guide the reader from the selection of a problem to the preparation of a completed report.

The 12th Edition offers the latest technology-based strategies and online tools. Other key updates include a better balance between quantitative and qualitative methods and the addition of a new chapter on action research.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Using Technology margin icons call out content that reflects the use of digital technologies for planning a research project, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting and disseminating the findings.
  • Illustrative excerpts and end-of-chapter Dissertation Analysis features provide examples of annotated, student-written dissertations and theses, showing readers how their peers have successfully completed these papers (Chs. 3 and 5 to 12).

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: Action research is covered in an entirely new chapter to provide guidance on using this increasingly popular form of research (Ch. 10).
  • NEW: Tips for identifying a theoretical or conceptual framework for a research study are included in a new section. Readers learn to: 1) more effectively ground a study within current theoretical perspectives and research literature and/or 2) propose a new framework through which the results of their study may be meaningfully interpreted (Ch. 1).
  • UPDATED: Expanded and updated discussions of qualitative and mixed-methods designs address the increasing popularity of these studies in many academic disciplines (Chs. 8, 9 and 12).
  • UPDATED: Practical Applications, Guidelines and Checklists help readers enhance their research skills by translating abstract concepts and ideas into specific strategies and explicit criteria. (Chs. 2, 6, and 8-12 contain new or significantly revised features).
  • UPDATED: Conceptual Analysis exercises allow readers to practice applying chapter content in activities such as “Identifying Independent, Dependent, Mediating, and Moderating Variables” and “Identifying Mixed-Methods Research Designs” (Chs. 2, 6 and 8 to 12 contain new or significantly revised exercises).

PART I: THE FUNDAMENTALS

  1. THE NATURE AND TOOLS OF RESEARCH

PART II: FOCUSING YOUR RESEARCH EFFORTS

  1. THE PROBLEM: THE HEART OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS
  2. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
  3. PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT
  4. WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

PART III: RESEARCH DESIGNS

  1. DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
  2. EXPERIMENTAL, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL, AND EX POST FACTO DESIGNS
  3. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
  4. MIXED-METHODS DESIGNS
  5. ACTION RESEARCH

PART IV: DATA ANALYSES

  1. ANALYZING QUANTITATIVE DATA
  2. ANALYZING QUALITATIVE AND MIXED-METHODS DATA

PART V: RESEARCH REPORTS

  1. PLANNING AND PREPARING A FINAL RESEARCH REPORT

APPENDICES

  1. USING A SPREADSHEET: MICROSOFT EXCEL
  2. USING SPSS

GLOSSARY

REFERENCES

About our authors

Jeanne Ellis Ormrod holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Brown University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in educational psychology from The Pennsylvania State University. For more than twenty years she was a faculty member at the University of Northern Colorado, where she taught courses in learning and cognition, educational psychology, measurement, and research methods; she is currently Professor Emerita of Psychological Sciences at UNC. Dr. Ormrod has published numerous research articles but is probably best known for this book and several other textbooks: Human Learning (7th ed., 2016); Educational Psychology: Developing Learners (9th ed., coauthored by Eric and Lynley Anderman, 2014); Essentials of Educational Psychology (5th ed., coauthored with Brett D. Jones, 2018) and Child Development and Education (6th ed., 2016, all editions coauthored with Teresa McDevitt).

Paul D. Leedy is late of the American University.

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