Chapters

Designing research projects

Designing good research studies is an important part of becoming a researcher, no matter what your field is. The exercises on this page are aimed at junior researchers who are designing their first studies in education research. If you’ve already done one or two projects, these exercises will help you get better at seeking funding and developing more projects. If you’ve never done research before, these exercises will help your first project be more successful.

Theory: A Primer

Theory tells you why. Let me tell you why.

What is theory for? Theory shapes your research project, from connecting your research questions and your data streams to guiding what matters about your project and how to communicate about it. This article outlines what theory is for, how to use it, and a framework for classifying theories you find in the literature.

Data and Access

What are the common kinds of data in education research, and what are their affordances and constraints?

New education researchers are often curious about how much data they need, or whether their small classes are big enough to collect enough data. This article outlines common data types and quantities in education research, and how to match your data types to your research questions. It’s great to use this resource as a starting point to help you frame your work. You’ll want to go more in depth for the particular data types which interest you. There are tons of resources which go into a lot more depth than this quick introduction, and there are a lot of details omitted and subtleties elided here.

Iterative design

Why and how to use an iterative design for successful research projects.

Iteration is core feature of successful research project designs. This is true in education research as well as engineering, bench science, product design & testing, and software development. If you want to discover new things or develop new products, you iterate. However, many education researchers struggle with iterative project designs, especially if they are emerging education researchers or if they are stretching their research skills to more complex projects or new contexts and methodologies. In this article, I outline some core features in research project planning to build in iteration and increase research project success.