Practical Research: Planning And Design

✍ Scribed by Paul D. Leedy, Jeanne Ellis Ormrod

• Publisher: Pearson
• Year: 2020
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 480
• Series: Pearson
• Edition: 12th Global Edition
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

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. For introductory Research Methods courses in any area of study. An engaging, cross-disciplinary guide to research methodology. Practical Research: Planning and Design 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 has been updated to include the latest technology-based strategies and online tools. Other key changes include a better balance between quantitative and qualitative methods and the addition of a new chapter on action research.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright Page......Page 3
Preface......Page 4
Acknowledgments......Page 9
Global Edition Acknowledgments......Page 10
Brief Contents......Page 12
Contents......Page 13
What Research Is Not......Page 24
What Research Is......Page 25
Philosophical Assumptions Underlying Research Methodologies......Page 31
The Library and Its Resources......Page 33
Statistics......Page 34
Language......Page 36
GUIDELINES: Writing to Communicate......Page 38
GUIDELINES: Using the Tools in Word‐Processing Software......Page 40
Critical Thinking......Page 42
Deductive Logic......Page 43
Inductive Reasoning......Page 44
Scientific Method......Page 45
Theory Building......Page 46
Collaboration with Other Minds......Page 47
Exploring Research in Your Field......Page 49
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Identifying Important Tools in Your Discipline......Page 50
Application Exercises......Page 51
For Further Reading......Page 52
Finding Research Projects......Page 53
GUIDELINES: Choosing an Appropriate Problem or Question......Page 55
GUIDELINES: Writing a Purpose Statement......Page 57
CHECKLIST: Evaluating a Purpose Statement......Page 61
Dividing the Main Research Problem or Question into Subproblems......Page 62
Characteristics of Subproblems......Page 63
Taking a Paper‐and‐Pencil Approach......Page 64
Using Mind‐Mapping (Brainstorming) Software......Page 65
Every Research Problem Needs Further Delineation......Page 66
Identifying a Relevant Theoretical or Conceptual Framework......Page 67
Distinguishing Between Research Hypotheses and Null Hypotheses in Quantitative Research......Page 68
Identifying the General Concepts and Possibly Also Specific Variables That Are the Focus of the Investigation......Page 69
Defining Terms......Page 72
Identifying Delimitations and Limitations......Page 73
Writing the First Chapter or Section of a Research Proposal......Page 74
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Writing the First Section of a Proposal......Page 75
Checklist: Evaluating Your Proposed Research Project......Page 77
Guidelines: Fine‐Tuning Your Research Problem or Question......Page 78
Application Exercises......Page 79
For Further Reading......Page 80
Understanding the Role of the Literature Review......Page 83
Strategies for Locating Related Literature......Page 84
Using the Library Catalog......Page 85
Using Online Databases......Page 87
Consulting with Reference Librarians......Page 90
Surfing the Internet......Page 91
Identifying Your Sources: The Importance of Adhering to an Appropriate Style Manual......Page 92
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Planning a Literature Search......Page 93
GUIDELINES: Using Your Library Time Efficiently......Page 94
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Evaluating the Research of Others......Page 97
CHECKLIST: Evaluating a Research Article......Page 98
Organizing and Synthesizing the Literature into a Cohesive Review......Page 99
GUIDELINES: Writing a Clear and Cohesive Literature Review......Page 100
A Sample Literature Review......Page 103
For Further Reading......Page 106
Planning Your Research Project......Page 107
Research Planning Versus Research Methodology......Page 108
Data Are Transient and Ever Changing......Page 109
Primary Data Versus Secondary Data......Page 110
Planning for Data Collection......Page 111
Comparing Quantitative and Qualitative Methodologies......Page 113
Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Designs......Page 115
GUIDELINES: Deciding Whether to Use a Quantitative or Qualitative Approach......Page 116
Enhancing the Credibility of Your Findings......Page 118
Enhancing the Generalizability of Your Findings......Page 120
Distinguishing Between Substantial and Intangible Phenomena......Page 121
Assessing Intangible Phenomena: An Example......Page 122
Nominal Scales......Page 124
Interval Scales......Page 125
Ratio Scales......Page 126
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS EXERCISE: Identifying Scales of Measurement......Page 127
Validity and Reliability in Assessment......Page 128
Validity of Assessment Strategies......Page 129
Reliability of Assessment Strategies......Page 131
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS EXERCISE: Identifying Problems with Validity and Reliability in Assessment Strategies......Page 134
Protection from Harm......Page 136
Voluntary and Informed Participation......Page 137
Right to Privacy......Page 139
Institutional Review Boards......Page 140
CHECKLIST: Determining Whether Your Proposed Study Is Ethically Defensible......Page 141
Critically Scrutinizing Your Overall Plan......Page 142
CHECKLIST: Determining Whether a Proposed Research Project Is Realistic and Practical......Page 143
When You Can’t Anticipate Everything in Advance: The Value of a Pilot Study......Page 144
Using Project Management Software and Electronic Planners......Page 145
Application Exercises......Page 147
For Further Reading......Page 148
Writing the Research Proposal......Page 152
A Proposal Is a Straightforward Document......Page 153
Organizing and Writing a Research Proposal......Page 154
Formatting Headings and Subheadings......Page 155
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Writing Your Proposal......Page 156
GUIDELINES: Writing the First Draft......Page 157
GUIDELINES: Revising Your Proposal......Page 161
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Strengthening Your Proposal......Page 166
Final Thoughts About Proposal Writing......Page 167
A Sample Research Proposal......Page 168
Application Exercises......Page 172
For Further Reading......Page 174
Descriptive Research Designs......Page 175
Observation Studies......Page 176
Correlational Research......Page 177
A Caution About Interpreting Correlational Results......Page 178
Developmental Designs......Page 179
Experience‐Sampling Methods......Page 181
Face‐to‐Face and Telephone Interviews......Page 182
Planning for Data Collection in a Descriptive Study......Page 183
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Using Checklists, Rating Scales, and Rubrics......Page 184
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Computerizing Observations......Page 187
GUIDELINES: Conducting Interviews in a Quantitative Study......Page 188
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Constructing and Administering a Questionnaire......Page 189
GUIDELINES: Constructing a Questionnaire......Page 190
GUIDELINES: Using Technology to Facilitate Questionnaire Administration and Data Analysis......Page 194
GUIDELINES: Maximizing Your Return Rate for a Questionnaire......Page 195
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Using the Internet to Collect Data for a Descriptive Study......Page 199
Choosing a Sample in a Descriptive Study......Page 200
Probability Sampling......Page 201
Nonprobability Sampling......Page 206
Sampling in Surveys of Very Large Populations......Page 207
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Identifying a Sufficient Sample Size......Page 208
CHECKLIST: Considering the Nature of the Population When Identifying Your Sampling Procedure......Page 209
Sampling Bias......Page 210
Response Bias......Page 212
GUIDELINES: Identifying Possible Sampling Bias in Questionnaire Research......Page 213
CHECKLIST: Identifying Potential Sources of Bias in a Descriptive Study......Page 214
Some Final Suggestions......Page 215
A Sample Dissertation......Page 216
Application Exercises......Page 219
For Further Reading......Page 220
Experimental, Quasi‐Experimental, and Ex Post Facto Designs......Page 221
The Importance of Control......Page 223
Controlling for Confounding Variables......Page 224
Types of Experimental, Quasi‐Experimental, and Ex Post Facto Designs......Page 228
Design 1: One‐Shot Experimental Case Study......Page 229
Design 3: Static Group Comparison......Page 230
Design 5: Solomon Four‐Group Design......Page 231
Design 7: Within‐Subjects Design......Page 232
Design 9: Simple Time‐Series Design......Page 234
Design 11: Reversal Time‐Series Design......Page 235
Design 13: Multiple‐Baseline Design......Page 236
Using Designs 11, 12, and 13 in Single‐Case Intervention Research......Page 238
Ex Post Facto Designs......Page 240
Design 15: Two‐Factor Experimental Design......Page 241
Design 16: Combined Experimental and Ex Post Facto Design......Page 242
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS EXERCISE: Identifying Quantitative Research Designs......Page 246
CHECKLIST: Looking for Confounding Variables......Page 247
Conducting Experiments on the Internet......Page 249
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Acknowledging the Probable Presence of Bias in Experimental Research......Page 250
CHECKLIST: Identifying Potential Sources of Bias and Potential Threats to External Validity in an Experimental, Quasi‐Experimental, or Ex Post Facto Study......Page 251
A Sample Dissertation......Page 252
For Further Reading......Page 256
Qualitative Research Methods......Page 259
Research Problems and Methodology Choice in Qualitative Research......Page 260
Case Study......Page 261
Ethnography......Page 262
Grounded Theory Study......Page 264
Narrative Inquiry......Page 265
Content Analysis......Page 266
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS EXERCISE: Choosing a Qualitative Research Design......Page 268
Collecting Data in Qualitative Research......Page 269
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Ensuring That Qualitative Data Collection Yields Credible, Trustworthy Data......Page 270
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Selecting an Appropriate Sample for a Qualitative Study......Page 272
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Making Observations in a Qualitative Study......Page 274
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Planning and Conducting Interviews in a Qualitative Study......Page 275
GUIDELINES: Conducting a Productive Interview......Page 276
An Example in International Relations......Page 280
Using Technology to Facilitate Collection of Interview Data......Page 281
Criteria for Evaluating Qualitative Research......Page 282
CHECKLIST: Pinning Down the Methodology of a Qualitative Study......Page 283
A Sample Dissertation......Page 284
Application Exercises......Page 288
For Further Reading......Page 289
Mixed‐Methods Designs......Page 292
When Mixed‐Methods Designs Are Most Useful and Appropriate......Page 293
Convergent Designs......Page 294
Exploratory Sequential Designs......Page 296
Explanatory Sequential Designs......Page 297
Longitudinal Mixed‐Methods Designs......Page 298
Multiphase Iterative Designs......Page 299
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS EXERCISE: Identifying Mixed‐Methods Research Designs......Page 300
Identifying Research Questions and Hypotheses......Page 302
Choosing One or More Appropriate Samples......Page 303
Ensuring That the Study Will Have Reasonable Credibility......Page 304
Special Ethical Considerations in Mixed‐Methods Research......Page 305
CHECKLIST: Pinning Down the Logistics and Feasibility of a Mixed‐Methods Study......Page 306
A Sample Dissertation......Page 307
Application Exercises......Page 311
For Further Reading......Page 312
Action Research and Participatory Designs......Page 315
Action Research/Teacher Research......Page 317
Design‐Based Research (DBR)......Page 319
Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR)......Page 320
Community‐Based Research (CBR) Models......Page 322
Course‐Based Action Research......Page 323
Community‐Based Qualitative Research......Page 324
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS EXERCISE: Choosing an Action‐Oriented Design......Page 325
CHECKLIST: Pinning Down the Logistics and Feasibility of Action Research, a Participatory Design, or a Combination of the Two......Page 326
Data Collection and Analysis in Action Research......Page 328
Disseminating the Findings of Action Research Projects......Page 329
GUIDELINES: Planning and Conducting an Effective Community Forum......Page 331
A Sample Research Report......Page 332
Application Exercises......Page 336
For Further Reading......Page 337
Exploring and Organizing a Data Set......Page 338
Organizing Data to Make Them Easier to Think About and Interpret......Page 340
Using Computer Spreadsheets to Organize and Analyze Data......Page 343
Choosing Appropriate Statistics......Page 344
Statistics as Estimates of Population Parameters......Page 345
Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Data......Page 346
Normal and Non‐Normal Distributions......Page 347
Choosing Between Parametric and Nonparametric Statistics......Page 349
Measures of Central Tendency......Page 350
Curves Determine Means......Page 352
Measures of Central Tendency as Predictors......Page 353
Measures of Variability: Dispersion and Deviation......Page 354
How Great Is the Spread?......Page 355
Using the Mean and Standard Deviation to Calculate Standard Scores......Page 356
Keeping Measures of Central Tendency and Variability in Perspective......Page 358
Measures of Association: Correlation......Page 359
How Validity and Reliability of Assessment Strategies Affect Correlation Coefficients......Page 361
Estimating Population Parameters......Page 362
An Example: Estimating a Population Mean......Page 363
Point Versus Interval Estimates......Page 364
Testing Hypotheses......Page 365
Making Errors in Hypothesis Testing......Page 366
Examples of Statistical Techniques for Testing Hypotheses......Page 368
Meta‐Analysis......Page 370
Using Statistical Software Packages......Page 371
Interpreting the Data......Page 372
CHECKLIST: Choosing Statistical Procedures......Page 373
A Sample Dissertation......Page 374
Application Exercises......Page 377
For Further Reading......Page 378
Analyzing Qualitative and Mixed‐Methods Data......Page 381
General Strategies for Organizing and Analyzing Qualitative Data......Page 382
An Example: Data Analysis in a Grounded Theory Study......Page 388
An Example: Data Analysis in a Content Analysis Study......Page 390
An Example: Data Analysis in an Ethnographic Study......Page 391
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Using Computer Databases to Facilitate Data Organization and Analysis......Page 392
Acknowledging the Role of Researcher‐as‐Instrument in Qualitative Research......Page 393
CHECKLIST: Pinning Down the Data Analysis in a Qualitative Study......Page 394
Analyzing and Interpreting Mixed‐Methods Data......Page 396
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Using Computer Software Programs to Facilitate Mixed‐Methods Data Analysis......Page 399
Systematic Reviews of Qualitative and Mixed‐Methods Studies......Page 400
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Observing How Experienced Researchers Have Conducted Qualitative and Mixed‐Methods Research......Page 401
CHECKLIST: Evaluating a Qualitative or Mixed‐Methods Study......Page 402
A Sample Dissertation......Page 403
For Further Reading......Page 408
Getting Started......Page 411
Essential Elements of a Research Report......Page 412
Presentation of the Data and Their Analyses......Page 413
Interpretations of the Data......Page 415
Identification of Possible Weaknesses of the Study......Page 416
Maintaining Your Academic Integrity......Page 417
Preliminary Pages......Page 418
Reference List......Page 419
Organizing a Research Report......Page 422
Writing—and Finishing!—a Report......Page 424
GUIDELINES: Writing a Clear, Coherent Report......Page 425
GUIDELINES: Pinning Down and Adhering to a Workable Schedule......Page 427
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Critiquing a Final Research Report......Page 428
CHECKLIST: Criteria for Critiquing a Research Report......Page 429
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Presenting Your Research at a Professional Conference......Page 431
GUIDELINES: Presenting an Effective Paper or Poster......Page 432
Journal Articles......Page 433
Responding to Reviewers’ Critiques......Page 434
Application Exercises......Page 435
For Further Reading......Page 436
Using Excel to Keep Track of Literature Resources......Page 437
Using Excel to Record and Recode Data......Page 439
Reorganizing Data in Excel......Page 442
Using Excel to Perform Simple Statistical Analyses......Page 443
Creating a Data Set......Page 445
Computing Basic Descriptive Statistics......Page 447
Computing Inferential Statistics......Page 448
Glossary......Page 451
References......Page 461
B......Page 468
C......Page 469
D......Page 470
F......Page 471
I......Page 472
L......Page 473
N......Page 474
P......Page 475
Q......Page 476
S......Page 477
V......Page 479
Z......Page 480

✦ Subjects

Research Methods: Education