Reading and Understanding Research

by Lawrence F. Locke, Stephen Silverman, Waneen W. Spirduso

Overview

Ideal for students, novice researchers, or professionals, this indispensable resource serves as a road map for readers who need to analyze and apply research findings. It helps them think critically about the credibility of what they are reading by showing them how to identify problems and develop constructive questions.

Key Features

• Assumes no prior knowledge of research procedures
• Provides readers with a step-by-step format for decoding the complex language and formats used in reports and reviews
• Includes the most common formats for both quantitative and qualitative inquiry
• Offers both illustrative examples and powerful training exercises
• Gives specific attention to strategies for critically appraising reported research
• Presents completely updated references as well as an annotated bibliography

Intended Audience

This text is appropriate for both upper-level undergraduate and graduate students across the social sciences enrolled in introductory research courses as well as students in professional preparation programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412975742
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	07/06/2009
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Lawrence F. Locke is Professor Emeritus of Education and Physical Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. A native of Connecticut, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Springfield College and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has written extensively on the production and utilization of research on teaching and teacher education. He has authored a number of books designed to assist non-specialists with the tasks of reading and understanding research. After many years residing in Sunderland, MA he now makes his home on Cape Cod, but with his wife, Professor Lorraine Goyette, he has spent much of each year writing, running, and exploring the Beartooth Mountains at Sky Ranch in Reed Point, MT.

Stephen J. Silverman is Professor of Education and Chair of the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is a native of Philadelphia and holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University, a master’s degree from Washington State University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His research focuses on teaching and learning in physical education and on methods for conducting research in field settings. He has authored numerous research articles and chapters, and is coauthor of a number of books. He has served as editor of two research journals, is an experienced research consultant, has directed graduate students, and has, for many years, taught classes in research methods, statistics, and measurement. He enjoys running, following politics, and aquatic sports, and lives with his wife, Patricia Moran, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His website is: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/ss928

Waneen Wyrick Spirduso is the Mauzy Regents Professor Emerita in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a native of Austin and holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from The University of Texas and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research focuses on the effects of aging and the mechanisms of motor control. She has been a prolific contributor to the research literature and has authored textbooks related to research methods and aging. She taught research methods and directed student research for more than four decades and has received numerous research grants from the federal government and foundations. She plays golf and rows, and lives with her husband, Craig Spirduso, in Austin, TX. Her website is http://www.edb.utexas.edu/coe/depts/kin/faculty/spirduso/index.html

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I: The Nature and Uses of Research Reports
Chapter 1: The Research Report
Chapter 2: When to Believe What You Read: The Sources of Credibility
Chapter 3: How to Select and Read Research Reports
Chapter 4: The Use, Misuse, and Misunderstanding of Research
Chapter 5: Types of Research: An Overview of Variety
Part II: Quantitative Research
Chapter 6: Quantitative Research Designs
Chapter 7: Staying Organized When Reading a Quantitative Report
Chapter 8: Explaining as a Tool for Learning to Read Reports
Chapter 9: Reading Reports of Quantitative Research-Critically: Things to Notice and Questions to Ask
Part III: Qualitative Research
Chapter 10: The Paradigms for Qualitative Research
Chapter 11: Staying Organized When Reading a Qualitative Report
Chapter 12: Reading Reports of Qualitative Research-Critically: Things the Reader Should Expect
Part IV: Reading Research Reviews
Chapter 13: Staying Organized When Reading Research Reviews
Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography of Supplementary References
Appendix B: Statistics: A Beginner's Guide
References
Name Index
Subject Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

The authors of offer students in any discipline with no background in research a guide to navigating research reports, not only so they can extract needed information from them, but also to provide insights from the output position to improve their own reports when the time comes. They discuss the social context, when to seek research, locating and selecting the right reports, evaluating for trustworthiness, qualitative and quantitative studies, and the different types of research. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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