JARA Schedule: A Tool for Understanding Research Methodology

The field of education research is a complex and difficult area particularly for early career researchers or students new to research. Focusing upon the most common types of research methods is a starting point as students, and those new to research would be more likely to encounter these methods in journals. The research literature contains arguments regarding the most frequent type of research methodology as well as the nature of this research. This article describes the authors’ review of a select number of education research journals and the surprises the researchers encountered—in particular, challenges in the development of a suitable mapping tool called the Journal Article Research Analysis (JARA) schedule. The results of this study indicate there may be implications for education researchers and editors of journals as well as teachers of research.