After reading this chapter, you should be able to

• Explain the importance of educational research.
• List at least five areas of educational research.
• Explain the difference between basic and applied research.
• Describe evaluation research, action research, and orientational research.
• Discuss the different sources of knowledge.
• Explain the scientific approach to knowledge generation.
• Explain how to determine the quality of a theory or explanation.
• List the six objectives of educational research and provide an example of each.