host posted on November 05, 2012 11:45
Book by Daniel J. Boudah
Review by
Eleazar Ortega
California State University, Fresno
Hoping to find a resource to guide you into educational research? If so, then Conducting Educational Research is a helpful way to get the basics of research. This book is meant to be used during the research process, but for those who are thinking about conducting their own research, they can read it beforehand to get an idea of what to expect. The author explains common research terminology and gives many examples to illustrate them that readers will be grateful for if they feel confused by the process. This book will explain research in an easy to understand manner to anyone who may fear research.
This book is intended for educators and graduate students who need a helpful tool during their research process. However, this book is still helpful for those wanting to plan ahead and learn a little more about different research techniques. This book may not be for anyone who has no research knowledge and needs more help understanding the concepts. Sometimes the author does not go into detail of explaining certain terms, but instead gives examples. So, anyone who needs a more descriptive definition of terms beyond what is in the glossary section may find themselves confused with this book. Conducting Educational Research goes over qualitative and quantitative research, how to conduct a literature review, and many research concepts to understand such as reliability and validity. It is a non-intimidating tool to guide readers through conducting their research. If readers already have a research design in mind, this book is still helpful as they can skip to the sections most relevant to their study.
Overall, this book will appeal to advisors, graduate students, and anyone else wanting to become more familiar with the process of educational research. The author simplifies the steps needed in order for readers to conduct their own research and provides lots of examples. Every chapter ends with short activities to get the reader thinking of how their own research study will be conducted, which is especially helpful for those who want to conduct research but are confused on how to begin. This book will be helpful for anyone unfamiliar with the research process and those who are familiar with the process may find themselves skipping some of the sections such as the introductions to each chapter. I recommend this book to anyone needing help to organize their own research, has at least a small understanding of the research process, and want a handy guide that explains different research designs.
Conducting educational research: Guide to completing a major project. (2011). Book by Daniel J. Boudah. Review by Eleazar Ortega. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 336 pp. $42.95 ISBN #
978-1-4129-7902-3