Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches by John W. Creswell
My impression of "Research Design" is that Creswell sincerely wanted readers to understand how to conduct thorough research with confidence. While I focused more on the chapters on qualitative and mixed-methods research, the quantitative chapter was equally easy to understand as the more inquiry-based methods. As an education student, I've always feared doing quantitative research, however this book makes it as available and comprehensible as either of the other two methods discussed. However, I would venture to guess that if you were in a highly technical field, this book would not suffice to supply you with the complete methodologies to conduct quantitative research.
The author conveniently structures each chapter with the learner in mind. For each section of the book, Creswell supplies easy to follow steps and checklists for students and researchers to cover most angles of research. At the completion of each chapter (all of which are short and easy to digest), there is a small section on writing practice to provide practical application for the reader who might not have a professor to rely on for further instruction, or for the professor who wants an easy, practical assignment right from the text. I studied this book independently, and while I feel a second read through might be in order, it was absolutely easy to understand and useful in my independent study.
Creswell's book is a good review of the three paradigms of research and writing guide for dissertation writing. I think a person needs to know about Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods in order to get the most out of this book. This is not an introduction, but a review. The text is divided into two sections. The first section is a broad review of the three paradigms. The second section is a "how to" for writing a dissertation or research to be published.
