EDU 8731: Educational Research

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks

Almanac of American education. (2006). Lanham, MD: Bernan Press.
Helps you understand and compare "the quality of U.S. education at the national, state, and county levels." Using data compiled from the U.S. government and private sources, this volume provides current and historical perspectives on a wide range of topics: school enrollment, per-student expenditures, educational attainment, standardized test sores, and county data. An appendix contains links to useful websites. 
Reference & Brookhaven Reference LA 217.2 .A45 2006

Guthrie, J. W., (Ed.). (2003). Encyclopedia of education. New York: Macmillan Reference USA.
This eight-volume set seeks to provide a comprehensive look at the "institutions, people, processes, roles, and philosophies found in educational practice." Signed entries are arranged alphabetically and contain brief bibliographies. Indexed.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference LB15 .E47 2003

Encyclopedia of educational research. 6 vols. (1992). New York: Macmillan Library Reference.
Arranged by topic, these articles provide an overview of various issues, followed by discussion of past research. References are also listed. This is useful for a historical look at specific topics.
Reference LB15 .E48

Lester, P.E., & Bishop, L.K. (2000). Handbook of tests and measurement in education and the social sciences, 2^nd ed. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc.
This reference volume contains summaries and/or instruments of over 120 tests relating to 36 different topic areas, such as communication, mentoring, professional performance, and teacher attitudes. There is also a list of commercial sources (with contact information) for obtaining the tests.
Reference LB3051 .L4543 2000

Research Aids

Holcomb, Z.C. (2004). Interpreting basic statistics: A guide and workbook based on excerpts from journal articles. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
This slim volume provides excerpts and questions that "allow students to practice interpreting published research results."
Reference & Brookhaven Reference HA35.15 .H65 2004

Holcomb, Z.C. (2006). SPSS basics: Techniques for a first course course in statistics. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
This volume seeks to help students make sense of SPSS, including how to enter data and when/how to use specific statistical procedures.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference HA32 .H56 2006

Patten, M.L. (2005). Understanding research methods: An overview of the essentials. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
Research methods defined! This book provides a brief overview of various research methods as well as explanations of sampling, measurement, and experimental design. Also includes a chapter on understanding statistics and writing a literature review. This short volume would be a good place to start as you begin the proposal process.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference  Q180.55 .M4 P38 2005

Pyrczak, F. (2005). Evaluating research in academic journals: A practical guide to realistic evaluation. 3^rd ed. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
Designed as a guide for those who are learning to evaluate (or need a refresher on evaluating) original research reports. Chapters focus on evaluating titles, instrumentation, analysis and results, and everything in between.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference H62 .P97 2005

Pyrczak, F. (2003). Making sense of statistics: A conceptual overview. Los Angeles, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
If numbers give you a headache, this book is for you. The author explains statistics in straight-forward language and illustrates how descriptive and inferential statistics are derived and used.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference QA 276.18 .P97 2003
 

Writing Guides

Galvan, J.L. (2006). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences. Glendale, CA: Pyrczal Publishing.
Here you'll find guidelines for selecting a topic as well as help with analyzing research literature and writing that first draft. The chapter on style and the mechanics of writing is useful, too.
Reference, Brookhaven Reference, and Main Stacks H61.8 .G24 2006

Glatthorn, A.A., & Joyner, R.L. (2005). Writing the winning thesis or dissertation: A step-by-step guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
The authors "demystify the writing of theses and dissertations" by providing step-by-step guidance, from laying the groundwork to defending the final document.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference  LB2369 .G56 2005

Nicol, A.M., & Pexman, P.M. (1999). Presenting your findings: A practical guide for creating tables. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Once you've gathered your data, you'll want to present it in a way that makes sense to your audience. This guide will help you organize your numbers into attractive tables. Includes an alphabetical list of various examples.
Reference  HA 31 .N53 1999

Pan, M.L. (2004). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
The literature review provides essential background information and puts your research in context. This book will help you decide between qualitative or quantitative reviews as well as determine a topic and write your first draft. The "Checklist of Guidelines" in the back will help keep you on track, and seven model literature reviews are also included.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference Q180.55 .E9 P36 2004

Patten, M.L. (2005). Proposing empirical research: A guide to the fundamentals. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
For students "who are writing their first proposals for empirical research." Begins with a definition of empirical research and includes chapters on proposing methods of instrumentation and analysis. Students may find the exercises helpful for getting started with the research process and can also look to the sample proposals for further guidance. Very user-friendly and can make a seemingly impossible task more manageable and less stressful.
Reference  & Brookhaven Reference H62 .P316 2005

Pyrczak, F., & Bruce, R.R. (2003). Writing empirical research reports. 4^th ed. Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing.
Recommended for graduate students working on serious papers as well as those who need to write "research-based term papers that resemble journal articles." This is not a style manual (you’ll need the APA for that), but a series of guidelines that will help you compose the major elements of a research paper, including formulating a hypothesis and writing a literature review.
Reference & Brookhaven Reference LB2369 .P97 2003

Periodicals

To stay informed of current issues, see the following journals:

Education Statistics Quarterly
Educational Researcher
Theory into Practice

You can also go directly to the Journal Locator to determine where other publications are indexed.

Books in the Circulating Collection

For books you can borrow, try searching the catalog for subjects in your area of interest, such as:

Education--Research
Education--Research Methodology
Elementary School Administration
High Schools Administration
School Administrators
School Management and Organization

Web Sites for EDU 8731

Attaining excellence: A handbook on the standards for the conduct and evaluation of research carried out by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (1999). Washington, DC: National Education Research Policy & Priorities Board. Find the full text here.

Writing a Precis. A step-by-step visual guide to the final product from Professor Richard Greenwood at Montgomery County Community College (PA).