This text is designed primarily for use in the introductory course in educational rescarch that is a basic requirement for many graduate programs. Because the topic coverage of the text is relatively comprehensive, it may be easily adapted for use in cither a senior-level undergraduate course or a more advanced graduate-level course. The philosophy that guided the development of the current and previous editions of this text was the conviction that an introductory research course should be more oriented toward skill and application than toward theory. Thus, the purpose of this text is for students to become familiar with research mainly at a ´how-to´ skill and application level. The authors do not mystify students with theoretical and statistical jargon. They strive to provide a down-to-earth approach that helps students adquire the skills and knowledge required of a competent consumer and producer of educational research. The emphasis is not just on what the student knows but also on what the student can do with what he or she knows. It is recognized that being a ´good´ researcher involves more than the acquisition of skills and knowledge, in any field, important research is usually produced by those who through experience have adquired insights, intuitions, and strategies related to the research process.