The essence of research design is the ability to articulate your research question. The research question is the precursor to the study, and a well-crafted question encapsulates all of the design elements for that study. Based on more than 20 years of conducting research, collaborating with colleagues to formulate research projects, and experience advising doctoral students, author Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) A. Baker forged a research design heuristic which she introduces in this book. She starts by dissecting the anatomy of a qualitative research question, outlines the role of paradigms in research design, describes strategies to use the anatomy as a design heuristic, and provides sample cases that track the decisions two researchers made while formulating a qualitative question. The book concludes with advice on how to move from the research question to the proposal. Throughout, the author provides handy worksheets that readers can complete as they work on crafting their own research question.

About the Author
Elizabeth (Betsy) A. Baker is a Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of Missouri, Past President of the Literacy Research Association, former coeditor of Literacy Research: Theory, Method and Practice (LRTMP), and the creator, executive producer, and cohost of the Voice of Literacy podcast. She began her career as a second-grade teacher in Greenville, SC, where she became fascinated by literacy acquisition and development. She holds a BA in Elementary Education from Furman University, and an MEd and EdD in Reading/Literacy Education from Vanderbilt University. Her research agenda takes place at the substantive crossroads of literacy, technology, and teacher education while drawing from sociocultural, cognitive, and systems theories. She seeks to harness the affordances of varied technologies while mitigating challenges to teaching and learning. Research projects include the federally funded development of ChALK (Children as Literacy Kases), naturalistic explorations of the nature of literacy in digital environments, analyses of the literacy learning and pedagogy supported by classroom websites, as well as Talk to Read (c), a speech recognition project. Among others, her research appears in Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, Language Arts, Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, NRC Yearbook (now LRTMP), Journal of Reading Education, Reading and Writing Quarterly, Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, Handbook of Research on the Societal Impact of Digital Media, Teacher Education Quarterly, and her edited book, The New Literacies: Multiple Perspectives on Research and Practice with Guilford Press. Her research, teaching, and service have been recognized by college, campus, state, national, and international awards including the Computers in Reading Research Award (International Literacy Association), Ernest L. Boyer International Award for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology (International Conference on College Teaching and Learning), William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence (Kemper Foundation), and the Thomas Jefferson Award (President of the University of Missouri System).

Reviews
A very useful resource for both new and experienced researchers. Highly experienced herself, the author guides the reader through the process of crafting a research question that brings the process into clarity and demystifies it. -- Kathryn Herr



Book Information
ISBN 9781071819135
Author Elizabeth Baker
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint SAGE Publications Inc
Publisher SAGE Publications Inc
Weight(grams) 190g