This Guide is intended as a starting point for your research and lists a selection of material. You will need to look beyond the resources listed here to identify further reading. Additional material (including more ebooks) can be found in the Education Ebooks Collection, or Sage Research Methods and in scholarly ejournal articles sourced using bibliographic databases.
See the Research Methodology - General Section of the Education Ebooks Collection for additional reading
The following journals may be useful and are all available online via iDiscover. Remember that you can search for individual journal articles using the bibliographic databases.
- American Educational Research Journal
- British Educational Research Journal
- Educational Action Research
- Educational Research
- Educational Research & Evaluation
- Educational Researcher
- Research in Education
- Review of Educational Research
Bassey, M. (1992) Creating education through research. British Educational Research Journal, 18(1), 3-16.
Oancea, A. (2005) Criticism of educational research: key topics and levels of analysis, British Educational Research Journal, 31 (2), 157-183.
Listen to Faculty academics discuss research methods
Classroom-Based Research and Evidence-based Practice (2nd edition) by
This refreshing Second Edition offers a helpful overview of educational research for those training to be teachers, or setting out on classroom-based research projects. The book illustrates the nature and logic of the research process, and supports readers in critically evaluating the strengths and limitations of published studies. Drawing on a variety of relevant examples, the book demonstrates each stage of the research process - including formulating research questions, selecting data collection techniques and deciding on approaches to data analysis - and usefully integrates each stage. The new edition includes: - an expanded treatment of data analysis - new, discrete chapters looking at ethical issues, and at how teachers can research their own classrooms through the use of case studies - discussion of research carried out by trainee teachers. Clear and comprehensive, the examples included in the book demonstrate the range of topics that are suitable for research in the classroom and identify key factors for consideration when undertaking classroom-based research. This book is essential reading for students, researchers, teachers and trainee teachers interested in doing research in the classroom.
Doing your Research Project (7th edition) by 
The Foundations of Social Research by
Choosing a research method can be bewildering. How can you be sure which methodology is appropriate, or whether your chosen combination of methods is consistent with the theoretical perspective you want to take? This book links methodology and theory with great clarity and precision, showing students and researchers how to navigate the maze of conflicting terminology. The major epistemological stances and theoretical perspectives that colour and shape current social research are detailed and the author reveals the philosophical origins of these schools of inquiry and shows how various disciplines contribute to the practice of social research as it is known today. Available with Perusall--an eBook that makes it easier to prepare for class Perusall is an award-winning eBook platform featuring social annotation tools that allow students and instructors to collaboratively mark up and discuss their SAGE textbook. Backed by research and supported by technological innovations developed at Harvard University, this process of learning through collaborative annotation keeps your students engaged and makes teaching easier and more effective. Learn more.
The Good Research Guide (6th edition) by 
Philosophy of Educational Research (3rd ed) - Chapter 7: Competing philosophical positions by 
Real World Research (4th ed) by 
Research Methods in Education (8th edition) by
This thoroughly updated and extended eighth edition of the long-running bestseller Research Methods in Education covers the whole range of methods employed by educational research at all stages. Its five main parts cover: the context of educational research; research design; methodologies for educational research; methods of data collection; and data analysis and reporting. It continues to be the go-to text for students, academics and researchers who are undertaking, understanding and using educational research, and has been translated into several languages. It offers plentiful and rich practical advice, underpinned by clear theoretical foundations, research evidence and up-to-date references, and it raises key issues and questions for researchers planning, conducting, reporting and evaluating research. This edition contains new chapters on: Mixed methods research The role of theory in educational research Ethics in Internet research Research questions and hypotheses Internet surveys Virtual worlds, social network software and netography in educational research Using secondary data in educational research Statistical significance, effect size and statistical power Beyond mixed methods: using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to integrate cross-case and within-case analyses. Research Methods in Education is essential reading for both the professional researcher and anyone involved in educational and social research. The book is supported by a wealth of online materials, including PowerPoint slides, useful weblinks, practice data sets, downloadable tables and figures from the book, and a virtual, interactive, self-paced training programme in research methods. These resources can be found at: www.routledge.com/cw/cohen.
The Good Research Guide (7th edition) by 
How to Do Your Research Project (4th ed) by
Now in its fourth edition, this bestselling book provides easy to follow advice to navigate every step of a research project, from choosing a research question, deciding on a research design and methodology, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up the finished project. Presenting a clear and detailed roadmap, How to Do Your Research Projectis an essential companion for anyone undertaking a research project in the applied social sciences.
Introduction to Research Methods in Education (2nd Edition) by
Based on Keith Punch's bestselling Introduction to Social Research Methods, this book introduces the research process in a range of educational contexts. In this updated second edition, you'll find guidance on every stage of research, with chapters on developing research questions, doing a literature review, collecting data, analysing your findings and writing it all up.
School-Based Research (3rd edition) by
Focused on the needs of the new classroom researcher, and those studying education on Masters-level courses, this is a thorough and thoughtful guide to the research process, covering qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods. It guides you through research design, data collection, and analysis and how to write up your research findings. This Third Edition has been updated to provide further coverage on the best ways to approach, construct and carry out educational research within the classroom including: A new chapter on disseminating research knowledge Expanded coverage of formulating research questions A reworked chapter structure better reflecting the research process This is essential reading for students on education degree programs including a research methods component, including education studies, undergraduate (BEd, BA with QTS) and postgraduate (PGCE, School Direct, Teach First, SCITT) initial teacher education courses, MEd, and professional development courses. Online resources expanding on and complementing the contents of the book can be found here.
Theory and Methods in Social Research (2nd edition) by
This new edition provides a scholarly and readable introduction to all the key qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and methods, enabling postgraduate and masters-level students and new researchers to reflect on which ones suit their needs and to receive guidance on how to find out more. With chapters written by experienced research practitioners, this second edition has been extensively expanded and updated. There are seven completely new chapters, as well as: new material on literature reviews a new introduction to quantitative methods an expanded glossary weblinks with free access to a wide range of peer-reviewed journal articles an annotated bibliography with conversational notes from authors in each chapter. This book will act as your 'expert friend' throughout your research project, providing advice, explaining key concepts and the implications for your research design, and illustrating these with examples of real research studies. Praise for the first edition: "Not merely a how-to book, it reviews the conceptual framework of research methods in the social and behavioural sciences and provides tangible stories from the field that illustrate the application of specific techniques and the process of conducting research. . . . This work affords a concise overview of qualitative and quantitative methodologies in the social science. . . . Highly recommended." R.V. Labaree University of Southern California CHOICE Available with Perusall--an eBook that makes it easier to prepare for class Perusall is an award-winning eBook platform featuring social annotation tools that allow students and instructors to collaboratively mark up and discuss their SAGE textbook. Backed by research and supported by technological innovations developed at Harvard University, this process of learning through collaborative annotation keeps your students engaged and makes teaching easier and more effective. Learn more.
"Sage Research Methods provides access to more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences and includes the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher."
Online Publication
British Educational Research Association (2018) Ethical guidelines for educational research. (4th ed.) London: BERA.
Organisations
American Educational Research Association
British Educational Research Association
Economic and Social Research Council
National Centre for Research Methods
