Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research

by John W. Creswell

Educational Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research , third edition, is appropriate for courses in Introduction to Educational Research. This successful core research text is known for its truly balanced coverage of qualitative and quantitative methods. The author's clear and practical writing has made this book a favorite among instructors and students. In clear step-by-step language the text helps students learn how to read and evaluate research studies. Key changes updated quantitative coverage, expanded coverage of ethics, and new research articles. For future teachers.

Genres: Education, Research, Teaching, Nonfiction, Reference, Grad School, School

640 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Teniell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a good introduction to the basic principles of educational research.

I purchased the 2nd edition of this book (for $35), and chose not to purchase the 4th edition (available for $125). In comparing the 2nd and 4th editions, they are almost identical - only the examples at the end of each chapter have really changed. My suggestion: save yourself $90 and buy an older edition!

[Malte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book on traditional research design. You get the feeling that John Creswell is paid by the letter, but despite all the extra and unnecessary words it is a really good textbook to get all the basics...

[Doris O · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book has many typographical and grammatical flaws, as well as numerous circular references. I'm hesitant to trust the quality of the content given how poorly it is written. Several titles do not relate at all to the paragraphs that follow. From a visual design perspective the content is handled inconsistently and the book is very poorly designed.

I'm amazed that this the problems have not yet been corrected for the 5th edition. It's not difficult subject matter, but it is being presented in ways that make the book nearly unreadable.

I would never recommend anyone use this as a textbook.

[Louise Droz · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I made my way through this one as a required reading assignment. As textbooks go, this one made sense and was organized in a predictable manner. Thank you for that. I liked the idea that each chapter followed the same format. I do have to add that I still do not understand why this book was so expensive. Why is it that we must use the current edition for a subject that does not change significantly from year to year?

[Scott Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work in an academic field at the crossroads of biomedical research and research into higher education practices. (I pursue research about research.) I have familiarized myself with biomedical research practices, but I also wanted to familiarize myself with educational research practices. Biomedical research is heavy on quantitative analysis, but educational research seems to involve qualitative methods much more. I needed deeper introduction to the latter. Creswell’s 650-page opus seemed to fit the bill, and I was not left disappointed.

As expected, this work is especially heavy on qualitative methods. Most – if not all – of its examples come from educational settings. It emphasizes applicability to the practice of teaching, especially in the K-12 arena. The various ways to pursue qualitative research are especially appreciated here – whether explanatory, exploratory, action-oriented, experimental, or correlational.

This book is suitable for graduate-level researchers in the field of education (especially at the K-12 level). It explains from square-one how to identify and pursue a research question; then it covers how to design, implement a study, and analyze the results to address that given research question. Creswell is especially strong when addressing mixed-methods research designs (both qualitative and quantitative) and action research designs.

The text is approachable and easy to read, even for non-native English speakers. Examples are drawn from the field of education and serve to teach the reader more about good instructional practice. Following each chapter sits an example paper to elucidate the principles taught in the proceeding chapter. The content is thorough in both its depth and its breadth. Each chapter also addresses ethical issues (each with its own case study) and contains a guide about how to interpret findings from this style of research.

Especially coming from the biomedical research world, this work seems short on quantitative methods and statistical applications. It engages statistical software use only at a very high level, and I do not recall any mathematical formulae ever being present. That perhaps is its prevailing weakness, but the mainstream of educational research tends to avoid these topics, too. At four editions currently, this work has stood the test of time and has had a global impact. My paperback edition from Pearson India was affordable while not skimping on content. Overall, I have been pleased with my time spent reading this book.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This textbook was detailed without being tedious. The writing flowed well and it was easy to stay engaged. It will be has been extremely useful in the completion of my research proposal. I highly recommend this text to anyone who is thinking about doing anything in research.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dense but useful

We perused chapters of this book to support a draft of Chapter 1 and found it to be informative but dry. I'm sure I'll refer back to it but will probably rely more on The Dissertation Journey by Hyatt and Roberts instead.

[Elliedakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class requirement. Readable. Full of info and examples.

[Joseph Rispoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative for designing research. Just lots of info.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very heavy read, so I would mostly recommend it for those who desire a basic crash course in research.

[Allison Furlong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Class requirement. Easy to read (given the topic), lots of examples.

[Noelle]

Read for school : )

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read all except chapters 14-16 for class, giving myself credit ;)

Standard textbook, not anything exciting but written in a digestible way, helpful.

[Delaina Heracklis]

Graduate school required reading

[Said Dhimni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read 315 pages from it. I will complete it later. Probably I will also reread what I already read because I will likely findits content practical to conducting research. Fascinating book. It's amazing how Creswell is objective in this book while he doesn't need to.

[Olgy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently taking a "Research Design and Analysis" course as part of my doctoral studies, and I've literally devoured every single word in Creswell's book. I've also shown it to faculty at various graduate schools and to recent Ph.D. graduates and they just about salivate over Creswell's 4th edition of "Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research" book. The answer I often receive is that they wish this 4th edition had been around when they were going through their doctoral studies as it would have saved them from having to buy a number of books in order to get what this one book contains.


From the very first words in the introduction, Creswell (2012) invites us to go on a journey, "Consider research your personal journey. It will be challenging but also exciting. Pack along for your journey a toolkit. In chapter 1 you will be introduced to the basic supplies. In your pack, place a solid understanding of 'research.' Also include a map--the six steps in the process of conducting research. Realize that on this journey you need to respect people and the places you visit. Enjoy the process using your natural skills such as the ability to solve puzzles, use library resources, and write..." (p. 1).


What an invitation! And Creswell is good to his words. Chapter after chapter complex issues were clearly described, both in the narrative and with copious examples that illustrated the concepts being explained. The book if full of some of the best figures and tables ever. They summarize in one page what several pages of narrative and examples explained. So once you understand the concept, the table is an absolute time saver as a "go-to" page. My Creswell book looks like a colorful porcupine! LOL. I've got little sticky tabs marking all the pages that have critical information I'll need to refer to time and time again.


The only problem I had with Creswell's 4th edition tome is that I wanted to underline just about every line in the book! ha! And this, of course, would devalue the idea of highlighting important concepts. So I paced and controlled myself in the highlighting but did end up with a tome that's more yellow and red underlined than not. :-)

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have learned a great deal about educational research throughout the process of studying this text for my graduate course. I knew there were different types of research prior to reading this book but I did not know the terms “quantitative” and “qualitative.” Now, I know the terms and have a solid understanding about the theories, processes, purposes, benefits, and limitations of both quantitative and qualitative research. This textbook really opened my eyes to the amount of planning, effort, and work that goes into conducting quality research. Perhaps the most valuable skill I learned from reading this book is the ability to better understand and more strategically evaluate research articles. This skill will most definitely follow me through my graduate studies and into the field.

Contains plenty of graphic organizers and other features to help the reader process information. A companion website provides quizzes and essay questions to test your knowledge.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I both hate and love this book. I would have been lost throughout most of my Introduction to Education Research class if not for this book, but I also felt lost most of the time as I read this book. The book is dense and written for novice researchers. It provides the foundation necessary to understand both Quantitative and Qualitative research.

[Tonesha Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the topic is not particularly thrilling, it’s a great resource for educational research from start to finish. Using it for multiple courses in my doctorate program and makes sense of many aspects of my dissertation.

[Sue R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning a great deal but not fun readying :)

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would go so far as to say I liked this book, but it was decently written so a doofus like me could read it. It will (gulp) become a valuable reference in the future.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is helping to keep me sane as I tackle this monster of a dissertation. When I am finished with my masterpiece, I would like to personally shake Creswell's hand!

[Khansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical and simple guide for beginners. It's really interesting and fun, especially the type of examples it uses to clarify some points.

[Zameer Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some things cannot be learned alone by personal experience

[Terence]

I think it is a good boy

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has good information for beginning educational researcher, but I would NEVER recommend reading it cover to cover.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what I did the latter half of the summer. It's about as exhilarating as the title would suggest, but, however, useful.

[Ivy Solano]

educationally helpful for me

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful in writing my action research.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear well written text book. Easy to follow and understand with good examples.