Having previously purchased a required research textbook that was written in a truly "mind-numbing" fashion, I went online to find a supplemental text. I was looking for something to help me develop some background knowledge in order to better understand my assigned readings. I consider myself very lucky for having found "Exploring Research". The writing style is very straightforward. I was easily able to read the textbook within a few days, and this made understanding the assigned readings in my course textbook much easier to do.

Easy to understand charts are used to illustrate points and organize the information. Practical resources are given to assist in developing a Literature Review. Rather than simply telling the reader to read a research study "critically", the author provides a list of specific questions an introductory student can ask themselves for each section of a report being read. As a supplemental text for the beginning student, this book is a wonderful resource for making sense of the basic research concepts.

Chapters include:
The Role and Importance of Research
The Research Process: Coming to Terms
Selecting a Problem and Reviewing the Research
Sampling and Generalizability
Measurement, Reliability, and Validity
Methods of Measuring Behavior
Data Collection and Descriptive Statistics
Introducing Inferential Statistics
Nonexperimental Research: Descriptive and Correlational Methods
Nonexperimental Research: Qualitative Methods
Pre- and True Experimental Research Methods
Quasi-Experimental Research: A Close Cousin to Experimental
Research
Writing a Research Proposal
Writing a Research Manuscript

Regardless of what your research needs are, this books could be called "research for dummies" in its excellent and easy-to-follow explanations. Buy this book, even if your required text is something else - It's filled with examples and can be read like an adventure novel in bed WHILE being truly comprehended! I've taken statistics, research classes, etc. - I wished I had read this book along with my first class! There's nothing dry about this and 1000 words are too few to praise it adequately!