Reading and Understanding Research

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.

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