Teachers Doing Research: An Introductory Guidebook

The purpose of this brief text is to prepare teachers to be efficient classroom researchers and to deduce useful answers to educational questions. The book performs that task by describing typical steps in the conduct of research on classroom topics, with each step accompanied by a host of specific examples of what the step entails in the study of a wide variety of questions about life in elementary and secondary schools.

Features:

• Organized into the eight major steps in conducting research, from choosing a topic to reporting the results.
• Includes specific examples of research projects from preschool through high school with multiple, realistic examples.
• Illustrates and evaluates appropriate sources of research topics so that teachers can readily brainstorm or adapt ideas for topics.
• Illustrates specific steps in searching for both print and electronic literature with examples that help make the research process easier for teachers.
• Describes six qualitative and three quantitative research methods, along with advantages and limitations, to help teachers compare methodologies and understand their use.
• Covers all aspects of the most popular data collection methods.
• Outlines six ways to report and publish research outcomes to illustrate the alternative ways that results can be disseminated.
• Includes exercises, problems, and a "planning guide" at the end of each chapter to provide students with immediate opportunities to apply the information in practical situations.