Introduction to Research Methods in Education

Book excerpt: Based on the popular Introduction to Social Research Methods, this book offers a highly accessible, clear and engaging introduction to research in education, which has been carefully and extensively developed to fully meet the needs of those studying in education and related fields. Introduction to Research Methods in Education assumes no previous knowledge of the subject, and focuses on helping the reader develop a clear conceptual understanding of the nature of empirical research in education, and of how those ideas lead to, and underlie, the principal research techniques. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches are covered, along with practical guidance on issues such as how to prepare a research proposal, write a literature review, and analyse different types of data. This book is an ideal introduction to researching in an educational context for students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and will be a must-have for anyone studying on a research methods course or doing a research project for themselves.