ABSTRACT
In the second edition of the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, our chapter on research methods emphasized four points: (a) framing a research question, (b) principles of research design, (c) constructing a design using factorial techniques, and (d) interpreting fi ndings. This chapter builds on the same foundational elements, updating several points and providing more recent citations. The area of experimental design has remained stable for decades, and so this plan seems sensible.
