An accessible guide designed as an introduction to educational research and statistics. Dr Picciano places especial emphasis on understanding and interpreting statistical procedures rather than on working with mathematical formulae. The primer covers the main areas of concern to any student embarking on a research project, such as how to locate material for research purposes, how to plan a research project, how to conduct various types of research as well as how to use research in educational practice. The primer is brought to life with numerous examples from Dr Picciano's workshops which demonstrate how to interpret various statistical routines using statistical software packages.