Synopsis
With a frank and discursive style, the authors address both the problems of access and the problems of researcher control. The result is a readable but realistic guide to the strategies required for valid investigations in educational settings. . . . The book is practical and useable. It gives a case study at the start, provides exercises after each chapter and is clearly written. --School Psychology International To date little material has been written about the pitfalls of conducting research in schools--until now. Research in Educational Settings helps prospective educational researchers plan their research more carefully in K-12 schools. This welcome addition to the research field focuses on the following issues: access and credibility in the school; traditional issues of designing research; questions that emerge as the design is imposed on the school culture and setting, particularly in regards to school staff and student assessment; the length of interventions and whether or not to schedule follow-up studies; and, how to interpret and communicate findings to schools and policymakers. Using personal experiences from their field research to illustrate key concepts, the authors also include a research project to clarify the practical issues of school research. Professionals and students of research methods, evaluation, education, psychology, and sociology will readily welcome this much awaited volume.
About the Author
My interest in what happens in diverse urban schools began when I became involved in a study of school desegregation while in graduate school. Those interests have led me to study a range of issues in schools, including school schedules and structures, teaching approaches such as cooperative learning and conflict resolution, social influence processes, and student background characteristics including poverty, type of housing, language, ability, and race/ethnicity. This work has been facilitated by time I spent in the Saint Paul Public Schools as their director of research, evaluation and assessment. Recently, my work has moved beyond schools to look more broadly at how universities engage urban communities to build partnerships addressing key social issues. I have complemented my substantive interests with methodology interests in structural equation methods and program evaluation. Finally, I have held administrative roles that have enriched and informed my research interests, including director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), assistant/associate vice president for multicultural and academic affairs, and now vice president for system academic administration . I am a past-president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), and currently edit one of their journals, Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy.
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