Understanding Research - Becoming a Competent and Critical Consumer

Aug 7, 2026

A student-centered introduction to reading, interpreting, and critically evaluating published research. It reframes research coursework as meaningful professional preparation and outlines why learners take such classes, from becoming literate in a discipline to completing research studies or meeting program requirements. The text explains the learning approach—starting where students are and progressing in small steps—and positions developing critical reading skills as the foundation before conducting original research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages244

Reading Time10 h 15 min

AccessFree to download

LET’S BE HONEST

Reasons for Taking a Research Course

WHAT WILL BE COVERED

Learning Principle and Course Objective

1000Understanding # Understanding ResearchBecoming a Competent and Critical Consumer W.Paul JonesUniversity of Nevada,Las Vegas Jeffrey A.KottlerCalifornia State University,Fullerton Upper Saddle River,New JerseyColumbus,Ohio Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jones,W.Paul. Understanding research:becoming a competent and critical consumer/W.Paul Jones,Jeffrey A.Kottler.p.cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-13-119844-0 LB2326.3.J662006 78.1'70281--dc23 Vice President and Publisher:Jeffery W.Johnston Executive Editor:Kevin M.Davis Development Editor:Autumn Benson Production Editor:Mary Harlan Production Coordination:Linda Zuk,WordCrafters Editorial Services,Inc. Design Coordinator:Diane C.Lorenzo Photo Coordinator:Monica Merkel Text Design and Illustrations:Pine Tree Composition,Inc. Cover Designer:Jason Moore Cover Image:Superstock Production Manager:Laura Messerly Director of Marketing:Ann Castel Davis Marketing Manager:Autumn Purdy Marketing Coordinator:Tyra Poole John Beatty/Getty Images Inc.-Stone Allstock. Copyright O2006 by Pearson Education,Inc.,Upper Saddle River,New Jersey 07458. Pearson Prentice HallTM is a trademark of Pearson Education,Inc.Pearson@is a registered trademark of Pearson plc Prentice Hall is a registered trademark of Pearson Education,Inc.Merrill@is a registered trademark of Pearson Education,Inc. Pearson Education Ltd. Pearson Education Singapore,Pte.Ltd.Pearson Education Canada,Ltd.Pearson Education—Japan PEARSON Merrill Prentice Hall 1.Research—Study and teaching(Higher)2.Reading comprehension—Study and teaching(Higher)3.Critical thinking-Study andteaching(Higher)I.Kottler,Jeffrey A.II.Title. 2004061619 This book was set in Palatino by Pine Tree Composition,Inc.It was printed and bound by Courier Kendallville,Inc.Thecover was printed by Coral Graphic Services,Inc. Photo Credits:p.2:Laura Bolesta/Merill;p.18:Terry Vine/Getty Images Inc.-Stone Allstock;p.48:Bob Thomas/GettyImages Inc.Stone-Allstock;p.76:Ryan McVay/Getty Images Inc.-Photodisc;p.100:Jesse Boswell.Le Tre Finestre,1924. Torino,Galleria d′Art Moderna/Art Resource,N.Y.;p.112:Bruce Ayres/Getty Images Inc.-Stone Allstock;p.146: Pearson Prentice Hall.All rights reserved.This publication is protected by Copyright and permission should be obtainedfrom the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction,storage in a retrieval system,or transmission in any form or byany means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or likewise.For information regarding permission(s),writeto:Rights and Permissions Department. Pearson Education Australia PTY,LimitedPearson Education North Asia Ltd.Pearson Educacion de Mexico,S.A.de C.V.Pearson Education Malaysia,Pte.Ltd. This text is intended as a non-traditional,student-centered introduc-tion to reading and making sense of published research.Perhapsmuch to your surprise,it is designed to make the subject fun,excit-ing,and meaningful.In this introduction and in the next chapter,we wantto talk to you about what to expect,what you will learn,some of the con-cerns you may have about this content,and most important,why thiscourse is going to be so important to your career—and to your life.Skepti-cal?That is one trait of a good researcher. LET’S BE HONEST Most research texts are boring and irrelevant.Students at both the under-graduate and graduate levels often dread and fear their research courses.They don't see a direct connection between their desire to help people,their need for practical skills,and their required coursework in research.Unfortunately,most of the texts available for these classes only makethings worse.They are typically huge tomes—heavy,dense,loaded withuseful stuff that is largely buried in the turgid prose. Let’s face it:There are basically three reasons why you are taking this Course: 1.You want to be literate in your discipline and make sense of the stuffyou read.You want to be better informed and

FAQs

Why do students take a research course according to the text?

Students take research courses to become literate in their discipline and read critically, to complete research studies as part of training, or because the course is required by their program or graduation requirements.

What main objective does the text set for students before they do research?

The text prioritizes learning to understand and critically review studies before attempting to conduct one, building skills for reading and evaluation first.

How is the content structured to help students learn effectively?

The text follows a learning principle of starting where the student is and moving forward in small, directed steps, using chapters that mirror the structure of typical published research reports.

Aug 7, 2026

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