Research Methods: Learning to Become a Critical Research Consumer

Becoming a critical research consumer is one of the most important skills a research professional must acquire. To become a consumer of critical research, one must develop certain critical thinking skills about research, such as the ability to read about and understand an investigation; the knowledge to determine the value of the obtained data; the intuitive skills to determine the adequacy of the research design; the experience to determine if there are other explanations for the obtained results; and finally, the good judgment to assess the adequacy of conclusions and claims. This text is designed to produce just such a knowledgeable and informed critical research consumer. Each chapter builds on the information in preceding ones to focus on the importance of research methodology and interpretation rather than mere statistical calculations and analyses. The thorough and extensive coverage of all research methods combined with a focus on critical thinking makes this text truly unique. Educators, researchers, scientists, research and data analysts, and psychologists.