Demystifying Research: A Primer for Novice Researchers

The Primer is a practical resource for education and social science beginner researchers who can be tentative about how to begin their research projects and find the detailed research books overwhelming, initially. Central to the Primer is a process, developed by Jackson, to guide beginner researchers in conceptualizing and framing a research project. The process, information, examples and exercises were field tested with over 100 doctoral students in dissertation proposal development courses. The contents have proven successful in meeting beginners' initial needs. Written in nontechnical language, readers are guided incrementally through the complexities of focusing a research study, and how to address the initial problems they can encounter when embarking on the research journey. Part I provides preliminary considerations about research and being a researcher. Part II describes ways of thinking about conceptualizing and framing a research study. Part III contains a comparative overview of the quantitative and qualitative research approaches, and highlights some of the research methods associated with each. Part IV assists novice researchers in becoming familiar with data sources for research, contents of a research proposal and a research report, and answers procedural questions that are frequently asked.