Essentials of Research Methods for Educators

Essentials of Research Methods for Educators provides future teachers, specialists, administrators and educational leaders with a textbook and a resource that goes beyond the classroom to use in your career. With a focus on the wide variety of data available to educators and the importance of data literacy for all those involved in education, this book presents research methods in a relatable educational context with a variety of concrete examples. The authors use their expertise in educational psychology to optimize learning. The structure of the book breaks down research into discrete steps with the "Let's See It," "Let's Do It," and "You Do It" steps for each chapter so students feel motivated to complete their research projects. By covering qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, with additional chapters on action research and program evaluation, students get a complete picture of the current research methods landscape. This highly scaffolded book supports future educational leaders in incorporating research and methods into their work and life.

List of contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to Research
The Importance of Educational Research
Research as a Scientific Method
Basic Research Versus Applied Research
Ways in Which Educators Can Become Reflective Educator-Researchers
Key Logistical Factors and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Considerations in Conducting Research
Ethical Considerations
A Look Ahead: Organization of This Book
Chapter 2: Reviewing the Literature
Critical Issues in the Workplace
The Purpose of a Literature Review
Conduct a Literature Review
Synthesize Research
Formulate Research Problems or Questions
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 3: Research Design: The What, When, and How of Research
Introduction to Research Methodology and Design
Comparison of Quantitative and Qualitative Methodologies
Diversity of Research Designs Across Methodologies
Making Decisions About Research Methodology and Design
Cross-Cutting Themes for Research Methodology and Design
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 4: Non-Experimental Research Designs
Using Non-experimental Designs
Descriptive Designs
Correlational Designs
Comparative Designs
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 5: Experimental Research Designs
Deepening Knowledge About Threats to Internal Validity
Internal Validity Within Experimental Designs
Pre-Experimental Designs
True Experimental Designs
Quasi-Experimental Designs
Single-Participant Designs
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 6: Qualitative Research Designs
What Is Qualitative Research?
The Dynamic Nature of Qualitative Research
Types, Purposes, and Features of Qualitative Research Designs
The Qualitative Research Process
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 7: Mixed Methods Research Designs
Mixed Methods Research
Commonly Used Mixed Methods Research Designs
Development of a Mixed Methods Design Study
Making Sense of the Findings From Mixed Methods Research
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 8: Action Research for Educators
What Is Action Research?
Action Research and Other Research Methods
Rationale for Conducting Action Research for Work-Related Problems
Practical and Participatory Action Research
The Cycle of Action Research
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 9: Program Evaluation
Characteristics of Program Evaluation
Research Studies and Program Evaluations
Elements of Program Theory and Logic Models
Types and Purposes of Program Evaluations
Engaging in a Program Evaluation
Ethical Considerations
American Psychological Association Style
Chapter 10: Sampling and Measurement Learning Objectives
Sampling-Related Terminology
Probability and Non-probability Sampling Techniques
Sampling Across Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, and Action Research
Measurement and Measurement Error in Research
Levels of Measurement
Types of Validity in Measurement
Types of Reliability in Measurement
Chapter 11: Data Collection
Intersection of Data Collection Instruments and Sources
Quantitative Data Collection Instruments Used in Educational Settings
Qualitative Data Collection Instruments Used in Educational Settings
Selecting Data Collection Instruments
Chapter 12: Descriptive Statistics
Key Components and Nature of Datasets
Purpose and Importance of Descriptive Statistics
Examining Distribution of Scores for a Variable
Central Tendency: Identifying the Most Typical or Representative Score of a Distribution
Measures of Variability Among Scores in a Distribution
Metrics to Capture the Relative Standing of Individuals From a Larger Group
Examining the Correlation Among Variables in a Dataset
Chapter 13: Inferential Statistics
The Purpose of Inferential Statistics
Measures of Variability
Probability and Statistical Significance
Hypothesis Testing and Statistical Significance
Various Inferential Tests
Chapter 14: Qualitative Analysis
The Researcher as the Instrument in Qualitative Research
Strategies for Developing Codes in Qualitative Data
Strategies for Building Themes in Qualitative Data
Comparison of Data Analysis Principles Across Research Design
Chapter 15: Communicating Research
The Importance of Communicating Research
Approaches to Written and Oral Communication of Research
Key Considerations When Communicating Research
The Role of Self-Regulated Learning in the Communication of Research
Chapter 16: Using Research to Guide Practice
Connecting Research With Practice
Evaluating the Quality of Research
Uses of Research for Teachers
Uses of Research for Administrators
Uses of Research for the Community and Policymakers
Using Research to Impact Higher Education Programs and Professional and Personal Growth
Applying Research Findings to Practice Using the Cycle of Self-Regulated Learning

About the author

Anastasia Kitsantas, PhD, is Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Office
of Doctoral Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason
University (GMU). She has also served as Director of the Educational Psychology, Research
Methods, and Education Policy Division and as Academic Program Coordinator of the
Educational Psychology Program. She received her PhD in Educational Psychology with a
specialization in Development, Learning, and Instruction from the Graduate School and
University Center of the City University of New York. She has previously served on the faculties
at James Madison University in the School of Psychology and at Florida State University in the
Department of Educational Research. Prior to working in higher education, she taught in K–12
settings.
Dr. Kitsantas’ research interests focus on the development of self-regulated learning (SRL)
and student motivation across diverse areas of functioning, including academic learning, athletics,
and health. She has also studied the role of learning technologies in supporting student
SRL. She finds joy in mentoring students to conduct research in these areas and has chaired
more than 30 doctoral dissertations. She is the editor, coauthor, or author of three books and
over 150 journal articles, book chapters, refereed proceedings, and reports, many of which are
directed toward the training of self-regulation. Her publications have appeared in diverse outlets
across many fields, such as educational psychology, teacher education, learning technologies,
health psychology, and sport psychology. Her research output has been widely cited by others,
with more than 19,000 Google Scholar citations. In fact, she has been recognized as ranking in
the top 2% of scientists worldwide based on research conducted from Stanford University that
covered ~7 million scientists in 22 major fields (Jeroen, Boyack, & Ioannidis, 2020). She has also
presented over 200 papers or invited addresses at local, national, and international conferences.
She has received funding support for her scholarship by various agencies. Currently, she is the
Principal Investigator (PI) and a Co-PI on two projects funded by the Department of Education
and the National Science Foundation, respectively. Both projects focus on the development of
self-regulatory skills among school-aged students in literacy and STEM areas in preparation for
postsecondary learning, the workplace, and lifelong learning.
Dr. Kitsantas was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award by Division 15 of the
American Psychological Association (APA) in 1997 and had been honored to receive the 2019
Barry J. Zimmerman Award for Outstanding Contributions to the fields of studying and
self-regulated learning research by the Studying and Self-Regulated Learning (SSRL) Special
Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She is a
Fellow of the American Psychological Association’s: Division 15, Educational Psychology. She
has excelled at teaching in a variety of course modalities and was awarded a George Mason
University Teaching Excellence Award, which is an institutional recognition for outstanding
teaching and acknowledgment of the significant work that faculty members devote to teaching,
advising, mentoring, and curriculum development. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of
The Journal of Experimental Education and has served on the editorial boards of a number of
xxviii Essentials of Research Methods for Educators
professional journals, including Contemporary Educational Psychology, Educational Technology,
Research and Development, Metacognition and Learning, The Journal of Experimental Education,
and many others.
Dr. Kitsantas has been extensively involved in the profession and has held numerous leadership
positions in professional organizations. She served as a Member at Large of the Executive
Board of Division 15 of APA in 2011 and most recently served as the Chair of the Fellows
Committee and the Webinar Committee. She has also been involved in the SSRLSIG of AERA
as the SIG Chair, Program Chair, and Chair of the Barry J. Zimmerman Award Committee.
She has been a panel reviewer for the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science
Foundation, and other funding agencies. She has developed partnerships with GMU and other
universities abroad, taught abroad, and as an advocate for study abroad programs, continues to
seed fruitful international collaborations.
Timothy J. Cleary is Professor and Chair of the Department of School Psychology in the
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey. He obtained his PhD in Educational Psychology with a specialization
in School Psychology from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of
New York, CUNY Graduate School in 2001. Dr. Cleary began his professional career working as
a licensed school psychologist in the public and private sector. He began his academic career as a
Visiting Professor at CUNY before serving as Assistant and Associate Professor at the University
of Wisconsin—Milwaukee prior to moving to Rutgers University in 2012.
Dr. Cleary’s primary research interests include the development and application of self-regulated
learning (SRL) and motivation assessment and intervention practices across academic,
athletic, medical, and clinical contexts. Specifically, he has examined trends in school-based
SRL assessment and intervention practices, developed and validated several types of SRL assessments
(i.e., self-report, teacher rating scales, parent rating scales, microanalytic protocols), developed
and tested academic intervention programs, and investigated links among SRL processes
and performance indicators. He has published over 70 peer-review journal articles and book
chapters specifically addressing SRL issues and applications, coedited a scholarly book on SRL,
served as sole author on an edited volume targeting SRL intervention programs and a sole author
for a research-to-practice book for K–12 teachers, The Self-Regulated Learning Guide: Teaching
Students to Think in the Language of Strategies (2018). Most of his publications have appeared
in top-tiered journals across multiple fields, including school psychology, educational psychology,
medical education, teacher education, and sport psychology. His research productivity has
been widely cited by others, with approximately 8,000 Google Scholar citations and 4,000 citations
since 2018. He was the recipient of the 2021 Barry J. Zimmerman Award for Outstanding
Contributions to the fields of studying and self-regulated learning research from the Studying
and Self-Regulated Learning Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research
Association (AERA).
Dr. Cleary’s extramural grant funding is significant in both its quantity and quality, and
most of his projects have been collaborative in nature. He is serving or has served as a Principal
Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department
of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), Institute for
Educational Sciences (IES), and the Spencer Foundation. Over the course of his career, Dr.
About the Authors xxix
Cleary has served in a lead or collaborative scholarly role on grants totaling approximately $12
million.
Dr. Cleary has also taken on several leadership roles at the university and national levels.
Across institutions, he has served as Program Director, Director of Clinical Training,
and Department Chair. He also participated as a Fellow in the inaugural Rutgers Leadership
Academy in 2015. At a national level, Dr. Cleary has served on the executive board for the
Studying and Self-Regulated Learning Special Interest Group (SSRL SIG) of the American
Educational Research Association (AERA), performing roles of Chair, Program Chair, and
Secretary. He also served as Chair for the Graduate Student Mentoring Program of the SSRL
SIG for four years and has participated in various mentoring programs sponsored by NASP and
Division C of AERA. Dr. Cleary currently serves on prestigious editorial boards for school psychology
journals (Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology) and educational psychology
journals (Journal of Experimental Education, Metacognition and Learning) and served as a panel
reviewer for IES grant for several years. Dr. Cleary is frequently asked to provide professional
development workshops to school personnel, researchers, and psychologists across the country
regarding the application and motivation and SRL principles.
Dr. Maria K. DiBenedetto holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology with a specialization
in Learning, Development, and Instruction from the Graduate School and University Center
of the City University of New York. She has a rich history in working in various administrative
positions in higher education, including admissions, recruitment, advisement, student services,
assessment, and reaccreditation, as well as adjunct teaching of both undergraduate and graduate
students (courses include research methods, educational psychology, counseling psychology,
child and adolescent development, theories of learning in teaching, and management). She also
has several years’ experience teaching as a high school science teacher and Chair of the Science
Department, as well as experience as a second- and fourth-grade elementary school teacher.
Dr. DiBenedetto’s current position is at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in
the Bryan School of Business and Economics where she is a member of the Dean’s Leadership
Team. In her position as Lecturer/Director of Assessment and Reporting, Dr. DiBenedetto
oversees assurance of learning for the business school’s reaccreditation by AACSB International
(Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), one of the most prestigious and internationally
recognized organizations that reviews business schools throughout the globe. In
addition, she ensures the business school is meeting the assurance of learning standards set by
SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) for all
graduate programs, undergraduate majors, minors, and certificate programs. She also serves on
various committees throughout the university and within the business school and is a senator on
the university-wide staff senate.
Dr. DiBenedetto’s research interests are focused on self-regulated learning, self-efficacy,
and motivation. She has published numerous chapters and articles on these topics and has collaborated
with world-renown scholars in the field of educational psychology. She is particularly
interested in research on self-regulated learning for college-bound high school students as well
as study strategies for undergraduate and graduate students and their impact on achievement.
Her research has been widely cited; for example, in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher
Education on first-generation college students’ study strategies, the authors cited one of her
xxx Essentials of Research Methods for Educators
studies in their discussion of study strategies for success (https://www.chronicle.com/article/Kn
owing-How-to-Study-Can-Mean/246644.).
Along with Dr. DiBenedetto’s empirical research, she has written several theoretical/conceptual
publications focused on assessment, standards-based instruction, self-efficacy within a
sociocultural lens, the mentoring of doctoral students, and two books, one edited and one coauthored.
In the edited book Connecting Self-Regulated Learning and Performance With Instruction
Across High School Content Areas (2018), each chapter is cowritten by outstanding content area
high school teachers throughout the United States and well-known educational psychologists on
applying self-regulated learning to classroom instruction. Self-Regulation and the Common Core:
Applications to ELA Standards (2015) was her earlier coauthored book that discusses how selfregulated
and the common core can be used to teach ELA standards to students in grades K–12.
Dr. DiBenedetto has served on several prestigious editorial boards: Journal of Experimental
Education; The International Journal of Educational and Psychological Assessment; and a special
issue of Theory Into Practice. She has served as a guest reviewer for several premier journals
including the Journal of Educational Psychology; Journal of Advanced Academics; Learning and
Individual Differences; and Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy, & Practice, among others.
DiBenedetto is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and served as
chair of Division 15’s (Educational Psychology) Committee on the Development of Early Career
Educational Psychologists. She served in several positions in the Studying and Self-Regulated
Learning Special Interest Group (SIG) for the American Educational Research Association
(AERA) including Chair, Program Chair, Secretary, and Editor of the SIG.
Dr. DiBenedetto has presented her research internationally and domestically and has conducted
professional development workshops for teachers in middle schools and high schools in
addition to guest lectures for doctoral students on student learning and assessment. In addition,
Dr. DiBenedetto serves on doctoral dissertation committees and has served and serves as a consultant
on many projects for organizations such as ACT (American College Testing), Pearson
Education, Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and the Portuguese
Science Foundation.
 
Suzanne E. Hiller, PhD, has worked in the field of education as a practitioner, professor,
researcher, and evaluator for over three decades. Notably, she was the Teacher Naturalist with
the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. She has served as an assistant
professor teaching educational psychology, program evaluation, research, and preservice
teacher courses in curriculum and assessment. While affiliated with Wingate University, she was
the Director of the Graduate Education Program and the Director of Multidisciplinary Studies
in Education with Hood College.
Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation, an organization
dedicated to promoting inclusive, authentic experiences in outdoor education through
research and training while motivating students in STEM careers. In light of this mission,
Suzanne E. Hiller has been working with educators, administrators, researchers, and scientists
on a variety of projects related to professional development, curriculum development, and
research, with a particular emphasis on outdoor classrooms and citizen science. Most recently,
she has conducted a series of research studies on the impact of water quality programs on student
STEM achievement, career motivation, environmental attitudes, and social-emotional
well-being. Through this type of research, professional development on designing and utilizing
About the Authors xxxi
outdoor classrooms, curriculum resources for educators, and mentorship and support for doctoral
students, she continues to encourage growing interest in providing students with exposure
in STEM activities within natural settings.
In support of educational research at large, Suzanne E. Hiller has served on the editorial
board for the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology and the
Journal of Experimental Education. She has also been a reviewer for a variety of journals, such as
Learning and Individual Differences; Learning, Culture, and Social Interaction; and Heliyon. She
has written one book on using metacognitive and self-regulatory strategies to promote student
science achievement and coedited one book on fostering STEM career motivation through citizen
science.
Her background in motivation and self-regulation was particularly relevant as a co-principal
investigator on a grant from the Maryland Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund to provide assistance
for teachers during the recent health crisis. Using an online format, the program serviced
teachers across the state of Maryland with presentations, mentorship, and projects related to
social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, mind-brain education, and self-regulation,
all topics that were critical for student success during the pandemic. The experience of
working on this grant serves as a model for several upcoming programs to train educators and
administrators in outdoor instruction through the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation as well as to
develop curricular materials for outdoor learning, Grades K–12.

Product details

• Authors: Timothy Cleary, Maria K DiBenedetto, Maria K K Dibenedetto, Suzanne E Hiller, Suzanne E. Hiller, Suzanne E. E. Hiller, Anastasia Kitsantas, Anastasia Cleary Kitsantas, Kitsantas Anastasia
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.04.2024
• EAN: 9781071830697
• ISBN: 978-1-0-7183069-7
• No. of pages: 760
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Education system; Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > Communication science; EDUCATION / Testing & Measurement, REFERENCE / Research, EDUCATION / Evaluation & Assessment, Research methods: general, Education: examinations and assessment, Examinations & assessment, For graduate / post-graduate and equivalents, Textbook, coursework