Includes bibliographical references and index

Note continued: Overview of Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, and Ex Post Facto Designs -- Pre-Experimental Designs -- Design 1 One-Shot Experimental Case Study -- Design 2 One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design -- Design 3 Static Group Comparison -- True Experimental Designs -- Design 4 Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design -- Design 5 Solomon Four-Group Design -- Design 6 Posttest-Only Control Group Design -- Design 7 Within-Subjects Design -- Quasi-Experimental Designs -- Design 8 Nonrandomized Control Group Pretest-Posttest Design -- Design 9 Simple Time-Series Design -- Design 10 Control Group, Time-Series Design -- Design 11 Reversal Time-Series Design -- Design 12 Alternating Treatments Design -- Design 13 Multiple Baseline Design -- Using Designs 11, 12, and 13 in Single-Subject Studies -- Ex Post Facto Designs -- Design 14 Simple Ex Post Facto Design -- Factorial Designs -- Design 15 Two-Factor Experimental Design -- Design 16 Combined Experimental and Ex Post Facto Design -- Practical Application: Determining Possible Cause-and-Effect Relationships -- Checklist: Looking for Confounding Variables -- Meta-Analyses -- Conducting Experiments on the Internet -- Testing Your Hypotheses, and Beyond -- Conceptual Analysis Exercise: Identifying Research Designs -- A Sample Dissertation -- For Further Reading -- Answers to the Conceptual Analysis Exercise "Identifying Research Designs" -- ch. 10 Mixed-Methods Research -- When Mixed-Methods Designs Are Most Useful and Appropriate -- Common Mixed-Methods Designs -- Planning a Mixed-Methods Study -- Identifying Research Questions and Hypotheses -- Conducting the Literature Review -- Addressing Validity Concerns -- Special Ethical Considerations in Mixed-Methods Research -- Practical Application: Deciding Whether to Use a Mixed-Methods Design -- Checklist: Pinning Down the Logistics and Feasibility of a Mixed-Methods Study -- Analyzing and Interpreting Mixed-Methods Data -- A Sample Dissertation -- For Further Reading -- ch. 11 Strategies for Analyzing Quantitative Data -- Exploring and Organizing a Data Set -- Organizing Data to Make Them Easier to Think about and Interpret -- Using Computer Spreadsheets to Organize and Analyze Data -- Choosing Appropriate Statistics -- Functions of Statistics -- Statistics as Estimates of Population Parameters -- Considering the Nature of the Data -- Single-Group versus Multi-Group Data -- Continuous versus Discrete Variables -- Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Data -- Normal and Non-Normal Distributions -- Choosing between Parametric and Nonparametric Statistics -- Descriptive Statistics -- Measures of Central Tendency -- Curves Determine Means -- Measures of Central Tendency as Predictors -- Measures of Variability: Dispersion and Deviation -- How Great Is the Spread? -- Using the Mean and Standard Deviation to Calculate Standard Scores -- Keeping Measures of Central Tendency and Variability in Perspective -- Measures of Association: Correlation -- How Validity and Reliability Affect Correlation Coefficients -- A Reminder about Correlation -- Inferential Statistics -- Estimating Population Parameters -- An Example: Estimating a Population Mean -- Point versus Interval Estimates -- Testing Hypotheses -- Making Errors in Hypothesis Testing -- Another Look at Statistical Hypotheses versus Research Hypotheses -- Examples of Statistical Techniques for Testing Hypotheses -- Meta-Analysis -- Using Statistical Software Packages -- Interpreting the Data -- A Sample Dissertation -- Practical Application: Analyzing Data in a Quantitative Study -- Checklist: Questions to Consider When Choosing a Statistical Procedure -- For Further Reading -- pt. V Preparing the Research Report -- ch. 12 Writing the Final Research Report -- Getting Started -- Surfing the Internet for Writing Assistance -- Learn by Looking -- Planning a Research Report -- Description of the Research Problem -- Description of the Method -- Presentation of the Data -- Interpretation of the Data -- Concluding the Report -- Maintaining Your Academic Integrity -- Front Matter and End Matter -- Preliminary Pages -- Endnotes and Footnotes -- Reference List -- Appendix Content -- Organizing the Research Report -- Preparing the Report -- Style of Prose -- General Principles of Writing -- Practical Application: Developing a Writing Schedule -- Guidelines: Developing a Workable Schedule -- Practical Application: Critiquing a Research Report -- Checklist: Criteria for Critiquing a Research Report -- Beyond the Unpublished Research Report: Presenting and Publishing -- Conference Presentations -- Practical Application: Presenting Your Research at a Professional Conference -- Guidelines: Presenting an Effective Paper or Poster -- Journal Articles -- Sharing Authorship -- Responding to Reviewers' Critiques -- A Closing Thought -- For Further Reading -- Appendix A Using a Spreadsheet: Microsoft Excel -- Using Excel to Keep Track of Literature Resources -- Using Excel to Record and Recode Data -- Reorganizing Data in Excel -- Using Excel to Perform Simple Statistical Analyses -- Appendix B Using SPSS -- Creating a Data Set -- Computing Basic Descriptive Statistics -- Computing Inferential Statistics

Written in uncommonly engaging and elegant prose, this text guides the reader, step-by-step, from the selection of a problem, through the process of conducting authentic research, to the preparation of a completed report, with practical suggestions based on a solid theoretical framework and sound pedagogy. Suitable as the core text in any introductory research course or even for self-instruction, this text will show students two things: 1) that quality research demands planning and design; and, 2) how their own research projects can be executed effectively and professionally. -- Publishers Description