Making Sense of Research

What's Good, What's Not, and How To Tell the Difference
Elaine K. McEwan-Adkins - The McEwan-Adkins Group
Patrick J. McEwan - Wellesley College, USA
Making Sense of Research
March 2003 | 200 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781483360928
Available from January 0001
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ISBN: 9780761977087
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Description

How can educators make sense of the complexities of research?

Making Sense of Research brings together the best of two worlds—the "real" world where education is practiced daily and the "ivory tower" world where research is ongoing. The authors have written this book for practitioners at all levels, from teachers making site-specific decisions such as allocating time, to administrators making schoolwide and policy decisions such as reducing class size. They outline and explain how quality research can inform, enlighten, and provide direction to educators that will save time and money, as well as make schools more effective and increase opportunities for students.

Educators are increasingly accountable for the outcome of their efforts. This vital resource will assist them in assessing the validity of research claims by leading the reader through a revealing examination of five critical questions:

  • Does it work? (the causal question)
  • How does it work? (the process question)
  • Is it worthwhile? (the cost question)
  • Will it work for me? (the usability question)
  • Is it working for me? (the evaluation question)

Making Sense of Research will change the way you read and think about research, and thereby help you enhance school improvement, sustain your vision of quality education, attain your mission, and ultimately increase student achievement.

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

  • The Goals of This Book
  • Who This Book Is For
  • What This Book Is Not
  • Overview of the Contents
  • A Few Words of Explanation
  • About the Authors
  • 1. Asking the Right Questions
  • What Is Our Approach to Making Sense of Research?
  • Five Questions About Research
  • Four Case Studies of Education Research
  • Further Reading
  • 2. Behind the Scenes in the World of Education Research
  • The World of Education Research
  • Who Does Education Research?
  • Who Pays for It?
  • Where Is It Published?
  • Can You Trust Education Research?
  • What Does the Future Hold for Education Research?
  • Does Education Research Really Matter?
  • Further Reading
  • 3. The Causal Questions: Does It Work? (Part I)
  • The Causality Conundrum
  • Simple (Minded) Methods of Establishing Causality
  • What Can Go Wrong With Experiments?
  • Why Are Experiments So Unpopular With Education Teachers
  • Further Reading
  • 4 The Causal Question: Does It Work? (Part II)
  • Quasi-Experiments and Non-Experiments
  • The Researcher's Bag of Tricks
  • Quasi-Experimental Approaches
  • Non-Experimental Approaches
  • Further Reading
  • 5. The Process Question: How Does It Work?
  • What Is Qualitative Research?
  • The Qualities of Qualitative Research
  • The Power of Qualitative Research
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • From Whence Comes the Quality in Qualitative Research?
  • Further Reading
  • 6. The Cost Question: Is It Worthwhile?
  • The Concept of Costs
  • The Ingredients Method of Cost Analysis
  • Two Important Cost Questions
  • Further Reading
  • 7. The Usability Question: Will It Work for Me?
  • Will it Work in My Setting?
  • Some Rules of Thumb for Making Generalizations
  • Research Reviews and Meta-Analysis
  • Special Considerations for Qualitative and Cost Studies
  • Making Trade-Offs
  • Further Reading
  • 8. The Evaluation Question: Is It Working for Me?
  • What Is User-Driven Research?
  • User-Driven Research at Lincoln Middle School
  • Asking the Right Questions
  • Refocusing on Outcomes
  • Defining the Problems
  • Exemplars of User-Driven Research
  • Further Reading
  • Resource: Bibliographies for Case Studies
  • Class Size Reduction
  • Phonics Instruction
  • Private-School Vouchers
  • Whole-School Reform
  • References
  • Index

Description

How can educators make sense of the complexities of research?

Making Sense of Research brings together the best of two worlds—the "real" world where education is practiced daily and the "ivory tower" world where research is ongoing. The authors have written this book for practitioners at all levels, from teachers making site-specific decisions such as allocating time, to administrators making schoolwide and policy decisions such as reducing class size. They outline and explain how quality research can inform, enlighten, and provide direction to educators that will save time and money, as well as make schools more effective and increase opportunities for students.

Educators are increasingly accountable for the outcome of their efforts. This vital resource will assist them in assessing the validity of research claims by leading the reader through a revealing examination of five critical questions:

  • Does it work? (the causal question)
  • How does it work? (the process question)
  • Is it worthwhile? (the cost question)
  • Will it work for me? (the usability question)
  • Is it working for me? (the evaluation question)

Making Sense of Research will change the way you read and think about research, and thereby help you enhance school improvement, sustain your vision of quality education, attain your mission, and ultimately increase student achievement.

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

  • The Goals of This Book
  • Who This Book Is For
  • What This Book Is Not
  • Overview of the Contents
  • A Few Words of Explanation
  • About the Authors
  • 1. Asking the Right Questions
  • What Is Our Approach to Making Sense of Research?
  • Five Questions About Research
  • Four Case Studies of Education Research
  • Further Reading
  • 2. Behind the Scenes in the World of Education Research
  • The World of Education Research
  • Who Does Education Research?
  • Who Pays for It?
  • Where Is It Published?
  • Can You Trust Education Research?
  • What Does the Future Hold for Education Research?
  • Does Education Research Really Matter?
  • Further Reading
  • 3. The Causal Questions: Does It Work? (Part I)
  • The Causality Conundrum
  • Simple (Minded) Methods of Establishing Causality
  • What Can Go Wrong With Experiments?
  • Why Are Experiments So Unpopular With Education Teachers
  • Further Reading
  • 4 The Causal Question: Does It Work? (Part II)
  • Quasi-Experiments and Non-Experiments
  • The Researcher's Bag of Tricks
  • Quasi-Experimental Approaches
  • Non-Experimental Approaches
  • Further Reading
  • 5. The Process Question: How Does It Work?
  • What Is Qualitative Research?
  • The Qualities of Qualitative Research
  • The Power of Qualitative Research
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • From Whence Comes the Quality in Qualitative Research?
  • Further Reading
  • 6. The Cost Question: Is It Worthwhile?
  • The Concept of Costs
  • The Ingredients Method of Cost Analysis
  • Two Important Cost Questions
  • Further Reading
  • 7. The Usability Question: Will It Work for Me?
  • Will it Work in My Setting?
  • Some Rules of Thumb for Making Generalizations
  • Research Reviews and Meta-Analysis
  • Special Considerations for Qualitative and Cost Studies
  • Making Trade-Offs
  • Further Reading
  • 8. The Evaluation Question: Is It Working for Me?
  • What Is User-Driven Research?
  • User-Driven Research at Lincoln Middle School
  • Asking the Right Questions
  • Refocusing on Outcomes
  • Defining the Problems
  • Exemplars of User-Driven Research
  • Further Reading
  • Resource: Bibliographies for Case Studies
  • Class Size Reduction
  • Phonics Instruction
  • Private-School Vouchers
  • Whole-School Reform
  • References
  • Index
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Making Sense of Research

What's Good, What's Not, and How To Tell the Difference

Elaine K. McEwan-Adkins , Patrick J. McEwan
Cancel Print

March 2003 | 200 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 28/04/2023 9780761977087 $39.95
Lifetime 28/04/2023 9781483360928 $36.00

How can educators make sense of the complexities of research?

Making Sense of Research brings together the best of two worlds—the "real" world where education is practiced daily and the "ivory tower" world where research is ongoing. The authors have written this book for practitioners at all levels, from teachers making site-specific decisions such as allocating time, to administrators making schoolwide and policy decisions such as reducing class size. They outline and explain how quality research can inform, enlighten, and provide direction to educators that will save time and money, as well as make schools more effective and increase opportunities for students.

Educators are increasingly accountable for the outcome of their efforts. This vital resource will assist them in assessing the validity of research claims by leading the reader through a revealing examination of five critical questions:

  • Does it work? (the causal question)
  • How does it work? (the process question)
  • Is it worthwhile? (the cost question)
  • Will it work for me? (the usability question)
  • Is it working for me? (the evaluation question)

Making Sense of Research will change the way you read and think about research, and thereby help you enhance school improvement, sustain your vision of quality education, attain your mission, and ultimately increase student achievement.


Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • The Goals of This Book
  • Who This Book Is For
  • What This Book Is Not
  • Overview of the Contents
  • A Few Words of Explanation
  • About the Authors
  • 1. Asking the Right Questions
  • What Is Our Approach to Making Sense of Research?
  • Five Questions About Research
  • Four Case Studies of Education Research
  • Further Reading
  • 2. Behind the Scenes in the World of Education Research
  • The World of Education Research
  • Who Does Education Research?
  • Who Pays for It?
  • Where Is It Published?
  • Can You Trust Education Research?
  • What Does the Future Hold for Education Research?
  • Does Education Research Really Matter?
  • Further Reading
  • 3. The Causal Questions: Does It Work? (Part I)
  • The Causality Conundrum
  • Simple (Minded) Methods of Establishing Causality
  • What Can Go Wrong With Experiments?
  • Why Are Experiments So Unpopular With Education Teachers
  • Further Reading
  • 4 The Causal Question: Does It Work? (Part II)
  • Quasi-Experiments and Non-Experiments
  • The Researcher's Bag of Tricks
  • Quasi-Experimental Approaches
  • Non-Experimental Approaches
  • Further Reading
  • 5. The Process Question: How Does It Work?
  • What Is Qualitative Research?
  • The Qualities of Qualitative Research
  • The Power of Qualitative Research
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • From Whence Comes the Quality in Qualitative Research?
  • Further Reading
  • 6. The Cost Question: Is It Worthwhile?
  • The Concept of Costs
  • The Ingredients Method of Cost Analysis
  • Two Important Cost Questions
  • Further Reading
  • 7. The Usability Question: Will It Work for Me?
  • Will it Work in My Setting?
  • Some Rules of Thumb for Making Generalizations
  • Research Reviews and Meta-Analysis
  • Special Considerations for Qualitative and Cost Studies
  • Making Trade-Offs
  • Further Reading
  • 8. The Evaluation Question: Is It Working for Me?
  • What Is User-Driven Research?
  • User-Driven Research at Lincoln Middle School
  • Asking the Right Questions
  • Refocusing on Outcomes
  • Defining the Problems
  • Exemplars of User-Driven Research
  • Further Reading
  • Resource: Bibliographies for Case Studies
  • Class Size Reduction
  • Phonics Instruction
  • Private-School Vouchers
  • Whole-School Reform
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

The book is concisely written and offers a pragmatic approach to research.
Dr Jane McGuire, School Of Education, California Baptist University
Each chapter launches with a discussion of the different forms of inquiry that can be used to answer [a] question at hand, and in plain language how each type (design or paradigm) works. Part of that process involves frank assessment of the strengths and limitations of each format--and thus the credibility of the evidence produced.
June edition of www.unlockresearch.com

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