The second edition of Research Methods for Education by Sandra L. Dika, Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell, and Gregory J. Privitera employs a conversational tone to frame research as a logical, step-by-step process of making research decisions. This book will help students translate their complex educational research questions into a plan for a research project that will ultimately help them answer those questions. The text focuses on applying scientific methods in real-world educational contexts so that research feels both relevant and authentic. The authors show how methods and analysis work together to create credible, reliable, and valid quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods educational research.
Chapters logically follow the research design and analysis process as in the first edition, with a focus on ethics, measurement, literature reviews and participant selection before moving through various research designs, including nonexperimental, quasi-experimental, experimental, qualitative, and mixed methods. Each chapter is structured to show how to align research design with research questions so students understand why as well as how to apply methodology in educational contexts. Significant updates include a restructured table of contents with more emphasis on quasi-experimental research and single-case designs and more logical flow of content. New sections on validity incorporate national standards, while more clarification of qualitative and mixed methods designs helps students better understand these approaches. Throughout, new educational examples and data have been added, as well as updates for the APA 7th edition standards.
