An informative and unintimidating look at the basics of research in the social and behavioural sciences. It makes research methods accessible for students - describing how to collect and analyse data and providing thorough instruction on how to prepare and write a research proposal and manuscript.

Research Data Management (RDM) has become a professional topic of great importance internationally following changes in scholarship and government policies about the sharing of research data. Exploring Research Data Management provides an accessible introduction and guide to RDM with engaging tasks for the reader to follow and develop their knowledge. Starting by exploring the world of research and the importance and complexity of data in the research process, the book considers how a multi-professional support service can be created then examines the decisions that need to be made in designing different types of research data service from local policy creation, training, through to creating a data repository. Coverage includes: A discussion of the drivers and barriers to RDM Institutional policy and making the case for Research Data Services Practical data management Data literacy and training researchers Ethics and research data services Case studies and practical advice from working in a Research Data Service. This book will be useful reading for librarians and other support professionals who are interested in learning more about RDM and developing Research Data Services in their own institution. It will also be of value to students on librarianship, archives, and information management courses studying topics such as RDM, digital curation, data literacies and open science.

Kenneth H. Phillips, Ph.D., is Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies in Music Education at Gordon College and Professor Emeritus of the University of Iowa. An award-winning researcher and teacher, he has been recognized by the National Association of Music Education (MENC) as one of the nation's most accomplished music educators. Dr. Phillips is the author of Teaching Kids to Sing (Schirmer Books/Thompson), Basic Techniques of Conducting (OUP), and Directing the Choral Music Program (OUP), and has written over 90 articles published in leading music education journals. He has made numerous presentations of his research throughout the United States, and in Canada, China, Australia, and New Zealand.

Exploring Educational Research Literacy offers beginning classroom teachers a comprehensive introduction to the topic of educational research literacy—that is, the ability to read educational research articles in a systemic and critical way. Many beginning teacher education students are expected to be familiar with the latest research in their field, but are not necessarily researchers themselves. In fact, many new students have had little exposure to educational research. In this accessible text, Gary Shank and Launcelot Brown give students step-by-step guidance through the often baffling process of learning a new 'language' of research methods. Using clear and friendly language, and employing simple articles created to introduce students to important ideas in an engaging manner, Exploring Educational Research Literacy gives students the tools to shift from being passive consumers of research to active and critical readers capable of evaluating research and judging the usefulness of the findings for educational practice. Features include: Downloadable resources including ten real research articles and eight "training" articles: Each lets students practice their research literacy skills and includes a list of questions to guide students in their reading" 'Practice Makes Perfect': end of the chapter reflection activities that prompt students to apply research skills described in each chapter Article Literacy Checklist: a guide to help students read research articles critically Glossary of key terms Clear and engaging style: Exploring Educational Research Literacy is written so that even students who are new to educational research can gain a clear understanding of and ability to apply the special skills needed to read research articles

This volume of abstracts provides an insight into the contested nature of sports coaching. Detailed, yet concise, this compilation of work recognises the importance of context and the socio-historical learning environments that coaches operate within. The text draws upon the work of a range of scholars varying from doctoral students, to leading international scholars, to provide a critical ‘snapshot’ of the current literature in sport coaching pedagogy. In doing so, this book outlines the challenges and potential developments of sports coaching as a discipline. The gathering of such work provides an insight to a variety of research projects, proposals and findings, varying from professional football and rugby union academies to community coaching and martial arts. This is the first book to present such an array of research projects in this format and, as such, is essential reading for any serious students of sports coaching, sport pedagogy, and for practitioners looking to engage in the study of sports coaching.

Posing fundamental questions around the worth of knowledge creation and the social value of in-depth research, this volume offers a novel approach by exploring why impact is important in academic research, rather than explaining how it should be conducted. Using qualitative data to unpack what research impact really constitutes, this book foregrounds the practicalities of achieving impactful, high-quality academic research, and argues for the importance of best practice in instilling public and reputational value of research for wider societal gain. Chapters unpack the concept of impact, and discuss how it can be made more tangible and realisable, particularly in the context of theoretical or pure research where research outcomes are often obscure. Calling for greater clarity in how to articulate the value of impact within research strategies, the book will ultimately argue for the central role of impact in core research processes and support the development of career researchers in their practical roles and identity formation. The book will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students involved with research methods, research policy, and higher education more broadly. Despite the predominantly UK-based context of the research, the volume will have resonance in countries where knowledge economy concepts have impacted on higher education policy and practice, and so research managers and higher education policy advisors may also find the book of interest.

In Mixed Methods Research: Exploring the Interactive Continuum, the second edition of Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology, authors Carolyn S. Ridenour and Isadore Newman reject the artificial dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative research strategies in the social and behavioral sciences and argue that the two approaches are neither mutually exclusive nor interchangeable; rather, the actual relationship between the two paradigms is one of isolated events on a continuum of scientific inquiry. In their original model for research—the “interactive continuum”—Ridenour and Newman emphasize four major points: that the research question dictates the selection of research methods; that consistency between question and design can lead to a method of critiquing research studies in journals; that the interactive continuum model is built around the place of theory; and that the assurance of validity of research is central to all studies. With this edition, the authors incorporate the concept of research purpose into their analysis. To contextualize their new argument and to propose strategies for enhancement, Ridenour and Newman review the historical and contemporary debates around research frameworks and define the nature of scientific validity. Establishing five criteria that render a study “scientific,” they propose ways to strengthen validity in research design. They argue that by employing multiple methods, researchers may enhance the quality of their research outcomes. By integrating the quantitative research standards of internal and external validity and the qualitative research standards of trustworthiness, Ridenour and Newman suggest a principle for mixed methods research. Ridenour and Newman apply this theoretical concept to a systematic analysis of four published research studies, with special emphasis on the consistency among research purpose, question, and design. Ridenour and Newman have completely rewritten their conclusions in light of their evolving analyses. They incorporate their most recent ideas into the qualitative-quantitative continuum and emphasize the “model of consistency” as key for research to meet the standard of “scientific.” This book occupies a vital place at the junction of methodological theory and scientific practice and makes connections between the traditionally separate realms of quantitative and qualitative research.