Quantitative Research in Education

A Primer

NEW TO THIS EDITION:    

• A new chapter devoted to the practical applications of education research uses the concepts of collective trust, organizational climate, and improvement science to illustrate the utility of a quantitative approach. It also offers guidelines for analyzing and improving the practice of research in education.
• New hypotheses found in a variety of research studies are available for readers to analyze and diagram.
• A new section on self-determination theory has been added to demonstrate the relation between theory and practice.
• A new section on self-regulatory climate gives readers an opportunity to explore an exciting new area that they are likely to encounter in practice.  
• A conceptual description of Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) has been added to help readers understand statistical data organized at more than one level.    

KEY FEATURES:  

• Education-specific concrete examples bring concepts to life and engage readers with relevant, meaningful illustrations.
• Check Your Understanding exercises and questions assess the reader’s ability to understand, value, and apply the content of the chapter.  
• Strategies and techniques for generating hypotheses help readers understand the process of creating their own hypotheses.
• Key Terms are highlighted in the text when they first appear and then summarized in a list at the end of the chapter to help reinforce key concepts.
• A Glossary concisely and clearly defines all the key terms in the text so readers have immediate access to ideas and concepts needing review.
• Charts throughout the text allow readers to select appropriate statistical techniques for given scenarios.
• The Diagramming Table (in Chapter 4) enables readers to diagram and dissect hypotheses by ensuring the key elements of a hypothesis are considered, analyzed, and understood.
• An Elements of a Proposal section (Appendix A) gives readers directions for developing a quantitative research plan and motivates readers to get started—the most difficult step for many.
• The A Few Writing Tips section (Appendix B) lists a number of salient writing suggestions to help readers avoid common mistakes found in formal writing.