Research guides: Education Studies Research: Get an Overview of Your Topic

Forming an Overview

Resources like handbooks, encyclopedias, and thesauri can allow you to gain an overview of your topic by helping you:

Learn about the different aspects of your topic from sources that are considered authoritative and accessible in academia
Learn about key thinkers, scholars, and definitions that are related to your topic
Determine a broad outline of how your topic and related concepts have been explored and discussed in your field

Gaining a better understanding of the keywords, terms, concepts, ideas, texts and scholars who have researched in the same area will help you know where to start your literature review and what data you need to gather.

General Education Research

Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Education by editor in chief, George W. Noblit.
ISBN: 9780190264093
Publication Date: 2015
Covers a range of topics in education. Oxford Research Encyclopedias are continually updated with new content.
Routledge Encyclopaedia of Educational Thinkers by Joy A. Palmer Cooper
Publication Date: 2016
The Routledge Encyclopaedia of Educational Thinkers comprises 128 essays by leading scholars analysing the most important, influential, innovative and interesting thinkers on education of all time. Each of the chronologically arranged entries explores why a particular thinker is significant for those who study education and explores the social, historical and political contexts in which the thinker worked.
International Encyclopedia of Education by Penelope Peterson; Eva Baker; Barry McGaw
Publication Date: 2010
Education is a multidisciplinary and international field drawing on a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines, and this encyclopedia comprehensively matches this diversity.
The Routledge International Encyclopedia of Education by Gary McCulloch; David Crook
Publication Date: 2008
Entries range from definitions of key educational concepts and terms to biographies of key educators and specially written substantial essays on major educational topics. The volume includes authoritative and critical commentary on historical and contemporary themes; examinations of continuities, changes and emerging issues; and discussions of the educational traditions and features of major countries and continents.

Educational Philosophy and Sociology

Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory by Michael A. Peters
Publication Date: 2017
This encyclopedia is a dynamic reference and study place for students, teachers, researchers and professionals in the field of education, philosophy and social sciences, offering both short and long entries on topics of theoretical and practical interest in educational theory and philosophy by authoritative world scholars representing the full ambit of education as a rapidly expanding global field of knowledge and expertise. It is unique in the sense that it is based on theoretical orientations and approaches to the main concepts and theories in education, drawing on the range of disciplines in the social sciences.
Philosophy of Education: The Key Concepts by Christopher Winch; John Gingell
Publication Date: 2008
This new edition of Philosophy of Education: The Key Concepts is an easy to use A-Z guide summarizing all the key terms, ideas and issues central to the study of educational theory today. Fully updated, the book is cross-referenced throughout and contains pointers to further reading, as well as new entries on such topics as: Citizenship and Civic Education Liberalism Capability Well-being Patriotism Globalisation Open-mindedness Creationism and Intelligent Design. Comprehensive and authoritative this highly accessible guide provides all that a student, teacher or policy-maker needs to know about the latest thinking on education in the 21st century.'
Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy by D. C. Phillips
Publication Date: 2014
Drawing together a team of international scholars, examines the global landscape of all the key theories and the theorists behind them and presents them in the context needed to understand their strengths and weaknesses. In addition to interpretations of long-established theories, this work offers essays on cutting-edge research and concise, to-the-point definitions of key concepts, ideas, schools, and figures.
Sociology of Education: An A-to-Z guide by James Ainsworth
Publication Date: 2013
The sociology of education is a rich interdisciplinary field that studies schools as their own social world as well as their place within the larger society. The field draws contributions from education, sociology, human development, family studies, economics, politics and public policy. Sociology of Education: An A-to-Z Guide introduces students to the social constructions of our educational systems and their many players, including students and their peers, teachers, parents, the broader community, politicians and policy makers. The roles of schools, the social processes governing schooling, and impacts on society are all critically explored. Despite an abundance of textbooks and specialized monographs, there are few up-to-date reference works in this area.
Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education by Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr.
Publication Date: 2009
The Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education provides a comprehensive introduction to the social and cultural foundations of education. With more than 400 entries, the three volumes of this indispensable resource offer a thorough and interdisciplinary view of the field for all those interested in issues involving schools and society.

Educational Psychology and Development

Encyclopedia of Education and Human Development by Stephen J. Farenga; Daniel Ness
Publication Date: 2005
Issues related to human development and learning are examined by individuals whose specializations are in diverse areas including education, psychology, sociology, philosophy, law, and medicine. The book focuses on important themes in education and human development. Authors consider each entry from the perspective of its social and political conditions as well as historical underpinnings. The book also explores the people whose contributions have played a seminal role in the shaping of educational ideas, institutions, and organizations, and includes entries on these institutions and organizations. This work integrates numerous theoretical frameworks with field based applications from many areas in educational research.
The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education by John Dunlosky; Katherine A. Rawson
Publication Date: 2019
This Handbook reviews a wealth of research in cognitive and educational psychology that investigates how to enhance learning and instruction to aid students struggling to learn and to advise teachers on how best to support student learning. The Handbook includes features that inform readers about how to improve instruction and student achievement based on scientific evidence across different domains, including science, mathematics, reading and writing. Each chapter supplies a description of the learning goal, a balanced presentation of the current evidence about the efficacy of various approaches to obtaining that learning goal, and a discussion of important future directions for research in this area.
The Cambridge Handbook of Motivation and Learning by K. Ann Renninger; Suzanne E. Hidi
Publication Date: 2019
Written by leading researchers in educational and social psychology, learning science, and neuroscience, this edited volume is suitable for a wide-academic readership. It gives definitions of key terms related to motivation and learning alongside developed explanations of significant findings in the field. It also presents cohesive descriptions concerning how motivation relates to learning, and produces a novel and insightful combination of issues and findings from studies of motivation and/or learning across the authors' collective range of scientific fields. The authors provide a variety of perspectives on motivational constructs and their measurement, which can be used by multiple and distinct scientific communities, both basic and applied.
Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment by Rocio Fernandez-Ballesteros
Publication Date: 2003
Psychological assessment is a key component of psychological work. Devices of scientific assessment are necessary for adequate describing, diagnosis, predicting, explaining or changing the behavior of all subjects under examination. The two volumes of the Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment contain a series of 235 entries, organized alphabetically, and covering a variety of fields. Each entry includes a general conceptual and methodological overview, a section on relevant assessment devices, followed by links to related concepts in the Encyclopedia and a list of references.

Topics in Early Childhood and K-12 Education

Encyclopedia of Teacher Education by Michael A. Peters
Publication Date: 2020
Covers all aspects of teacher education, including: teaching practice; initial teacher education; teacher induction; teacher development; professional learning; teacher education policies; quality assurance; professional knowledge, standards and organisations; teacher ethics; and research on teacher education, among other issues.
Encyclopedia of Primary Education by Denis Hayes
Publication Date: 2009
This book provides a series of descriptions, definitions and explanations that engage with important practical and conceptual ideas in primary education and contains over 500 entries incorporating: Curriculum subjects, themes and topics; Theories, policies and educational controversies; Pedagogical terms relating to teaching and learning; Commentaries on current issues in primary education; Influential figures in education, both past and present; The impact of educational research on policy and practice.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Contemporary Early Childhood Education by Donna Couchenour; J. Kent Chrisman
Publication Date: 2016
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Contemporary Early Childhood Education presents in three comprehensive volumes advanced research, accurate practical applications of research, historical foundations and key facts from the field of contemporary early childhood education. Through approximately 450 entries, this work includes all areas of child development - physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, aesthetic - as well as comprehensive review of best educational practices with young children, effective preparation for early childhood professionals and policy making practices.

Higher and Adult Education

International Encyclopedia of Adult Education by Leona M. English
Publication Date: 2005
Its 170+ articles, written by an international team of contributors from over 17 countries, detail the research and practice of the field from its emergence as a separate discipline to the present day, covering key concepts, issues and individuals and providing a cutting-edge summary of ongoing debates across a wide range of perspectives, from self-directed learning to human resource development. Entries are arranged A-Z and extensive cross-referenced, with detailed bibliographies for each topic to facilitate further research.
The SAGE Handbook of Workplace Learning by Margaret Malloch; Len Cairns; Karen Evans; Bridget N. O'Connor
Publication Date: 2010
The volume provides a broad-based analysis of the range of theory, research, and practical developments in workplace learning. The editors draw together the three essential areas of Theory; Research and Practice; and Issues and Futures in the field of Workplace Learning. In addition, final chapters include recommendations for further development. Key researchers and writers in the field have approached workplaces as the base of learning about work, that is, work-based learning.
International Higher Education Systems and Institutions
Publication Date: 2020
It maps the field for the twenty first century reflecting the massive changes that have occurred and the challenges ahead for future research. It provides a rich diversity of scholarly perspectives and covers the entire spectrum of higher education from a geographical, a topical and disciplinary perspective.
International Higher Education: An Encyclopedia by Philip Altbach
Publication Date: 2011
Comprehensive and in-depth coverage of a limited number of countries, regions and themes is provided. The essays not only feature statistical and factual information but significant interpretation of those facts and figures. The chapters on themes and topics are both analytic and interpretative and deal with the most important topics relevant to higher education everywhere. Also see volume 2.
Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education by Walter Leal Filho
Publication Date: 2020
This encyclopedia serves as a tool to support universities across the world to implement sustainable development in higher education in a number of key areas, such as: Policy-making, visioning, structures, management and strategies; Teaching, learning and competencies; Research and transformation; Campus greening, design, operations and carbon impacts; Students and stakeholders' initiatives and involvement.