A Beginner's Guide to Doing Your Education Research Project
Based on the author's many years of experience working with undergraduate and graduate students, this book is a basic guide to doing a research project in education. Step-by-step advice is presented in a clear way, and chapters take the reader through the entire process, from planning and doing research, to writing it up. Each stage is covered, with detailed help on choosing a topic, drawing up research questions, doing the literature review, choosing and designing research methods, the ethics of doing research, analyzing data, and collating and presenting findings.
Key Features:
- Explanations of key research terms
- Key learning points
- Activities (with answers)
- Progress sheets
- Case studies of students' investigations
Plus online resources are available to download from SAGE Methodspace.
This is an ideal text for undergraduate students undertaking their first ever research project, graduates pursuing Masters degree and teachers and others in education carrying out action research.
'Mike Lambert's book is a useful source of information, helping to create and shape your research methods project. The book contains detailed chapters with easy to follow guidelines, tips and suggestions ensuring help at every step of the way from start to finish'
-Alexander Miesen, student, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
'It is like having the best mentor, friend and University or College professor hold your hand through the scariest of assignments, helping to demystify the whole process and make it 'doable' and understandable'
Early Years Educator
'Mike Lambert's Beginner's Guide is an excellent, user-friendly and overwhelmingly supportive book for anyone who has had the experience of living in the lonely space between interesting intentions (often passionate and personal) for research into their own education practice and the alientating discourse of research paradigms'
-Julian Mcdougall, Media Education Research Journal (MERJ)
'If your task in life is to write an education research project, it would be hard to imagine a more valuable helpmate than this book by Mike Lambert … I cannot recommend [it] too highly'
-Education Today, Anthony Seldon
'A thorough, practical resource for individuals who will be planning and carrying out research for the first time. It is an invaluable resource for undergraduate students, their teachers, or educational professionals who are starting to do research. It systematically leads the reader through the steps involved in the process of performing education research. As such, it makes a valuable contribution toward the formation of education researchers. Helping students to enter the realm of research is a necessary step toward improved practice and professionalism in the field of education. This book can help achieve this goal'
-Billaterra Journal of Teaching and Learning Language and Literature
'Students can sometimes struggle with doing this part of their course and it can be quite intimidating. In this book all aspects of doing a research project are covered by simple explanations and helpful suggestions'
Conductive Education Information (www.gillian-maguire.info)
A quite useful book for advanced BA and beginning MA students. It's simple language helps students to understand the research process well. Links to online sources are very useful.
I have used aspects of this text with L6 research students. It provides alternative perspectives to fundamental research principles.
Lay-out is very user-friendly.
Key points in boxes are helpful.
The appendices are very helpful indeed - especially the glossary and the appendix containing a number of photocopiable templates - also available electronically.
Some of the activities (with answers supplied) could be used in learning and teaching sessions in preparation for students carrying out research.
Advantages/disadvantages of methods are clear-cut and should be helpful in both planning and discussing limitations of research projects carried out.
Ethical issues are considered,but are scattered throughout the text, so no one clear section on these.
This book provides step by step guidance and thought provoking questions to assist students. Key points and case studies are especially helpful
A useful book for students starting out on their first education research project
The additional support and resources provided by this book was invauable in professional studies for the PGCE students
Even where students are not undertaking full-scale research projects, this book will give insight to help them develop their own reflective, evidence-based practice.
An excellent introduction to initial research.Clearly written and very practical.
Final year students on our BA (Hons) Education find this a very useful source of guidance and support with their dissertations
