How to Read and Understand Educational Research

Dr James Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Education in the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex. James initially studied Geology at the University of London and subsequently trained as a science teacher. He taught secondary science in North London (Enfield), South London (Croydon) and Surrey. He has been involved in initial teacher education and training for over twenty years and also teaches on various undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes. His research interests currently entail understanding the place and teaching of 'The Nature of Science' and 'The Scientific Method' in the school curriculum. In particular, what do teachers understand about these concepts and ideas? Linked to this work he also researches the teaching of evolution in science and the place of creationism in a school based context. He has published a number of successful textbooks in science for Key Stage 3 children as well as authoring articles in international education journals and a book on teaching the nature of science.

Part 1: Assessing research Chapter 1: The hierarchy of research publications Chapter 2: Where to find good research and how to reference it properly Chapter 3: Organising your research reading and avoiding bias Part 2: Analysing research Chapter 4: Understanding research paradigms Chapter 5: Research methods - an overview Chapter 6: How research is written Part 3: Appreciating and understanding research Chapter 7: Understanding criticality Chapter 8: A critical analysis framework Chapter 9: Putting research into practice