Times Have Changed So Why Hasn't The Approach? (Article Review)

I can remember quite clearly my grade seven project on Egypt. It consisted of my teacher, who was also the teacher-librarian, going over the criteria and then setting us loose in the library. She had already diligently pulled all the books on Egypt and placed them on the library tables for us to find our information; independently for the most part. The internet was still a couple years away, so we were limited to printed sources and back then, this was the norm. I thought myself lucky to be able to supplement my research with our set of encyclopedias at home, as it would be information that no one else in my class would have access to; or so I believed. 

Today is different. With the internet students have access to enormous amounts of information, which is not always scrutinized and authenticated as it would be if published in a book. However, many teachers have not changed. Instead of diligently pulling books off the shelves relating to the topic, they set their students free in the computer lab, left to their own devices. No wonder students are getting frustrated and not learning a whole lot from these projects.

The Article:

Jennifer Branch (2002) wrote an article entitled “Helping Students Become Better Electronic Searchers”. She states “searching is difficult and instruction is becoming ever more important because such a large amount of information is available to students. School library programs must help students recognize, select and use information that best meets their needs” (p.1).  She also suggests that accessing information electronically requires new kinds of skills. Without directed instruction of research skills and a research model to follow, it is not fair to expect students to produce quality work and develop higher levels of learning. Branch quotes Marcia Bates (1989) who stresses “that effective searchers, rather than using a single search query, gather bits and pieces of information in a “berrypicking” manner” (p. 1). As discussed in my last article review, “To Google or not to Google - When is the question”, I have watched students countless times Google a topic, go to the first source listed, summarize the information found and hand in their competed work. This is not research.  Branch explains “the three main problem areas in the use of [electronic multimedia] are disorientation, navigation inefficiency and cognitive overload…Novice searchers lack the ability to form effective search plans and queries, cope with searching obstacles, assess, refine and select results and synthesize data” (p. 2).

 

The Study:

The purpose of Branch’s study was to examine the information-seeking processes by a group of middle school students while using CD-ROM encyclopedias,

 

The twelve participants represented different reading abilities, language and travel experiences, ethnic backgrounds, were between the ages of eleven and fifteen, and there was an equal gender ratio of males to females

 

None of the participants were familiar with the 1999 World Book encyclopaedia, while some had used the Microsoft Encarta encyclopaedia deluxe 2000 prior to this study. Each of the participants was given a brief introduction to the CD-ROM encyclopaedias.

 

The Process:

In the first session, the participants were given a list of questions to search for, such as, “Who was the first woman in space?” In the second session the three grades, 7, 8, and 9 were given there own sets of questions. For the third session the participants were asked to generate four of their own questions and answer them using the encyclopaedia of their choice.

Although Branch did not say why the grade levels were given different sets of questions in the second session, my guess from looking at the questions would be the degree of difficulty involved. The grade seven questions could easily be found by typing in the question into the search query, while the grade nine questions were more complex and involved inferring what the question was asking then typing in an appropriate search term, which may have lead to multiple searches to find the answer.

 

The Findings:

-          When faced with “no topics found” some students became confused and asked for help

-          The participants tended to follow three main processes

o       Entered search terms

o       Skimmed list of retrieved topics to find an article

o       Read, skimmed or scanned to find the answer

-          Practice over time improved confidence and navigation

-          There were factors that influenced the process

o       Finding the right key term

o       Knowing when to broader or narrow a search

o       Having enough time and patience to continue searching

o       Previous computer experience

o       Reading ability

o       Skimming and scanning skills

o       Having an understanding of what could be found in an encyclopaedia

-          More experienced searchers used different strategies to finding information, while novice searches used one strategy – simple search terms

 

The Implications:

Overall the findings of this study show that teachers and teacher-librarians need to explicitly teach research skills so students can access information efficiently and effectively. Branch provided three sets of recommendations to assist TLs.

Preparation

·         TL’s should become familiar with the works of Tenopir et al (1991), Kuhlthau (1991), Gross (1999), Todd (1995) and Bates (1991), as well as, the different research models.

o       Before beginning this course I was not familiar with any of the research models we have thus discussed in this course. The only one I was introduced to during my BEd was Alberta’s Focus on Inquiry.

·         Teach these models to your students and allow them opportunities to practice.

o       Researching should be fun and exciting and not a process so full of anxiety that the students turn off.  Teachers should give the students a chance to explore the process before assigning a project.

·         Aide students in developing strategies and skills to deal with the affective stages of the process, like frustration, confusion, doubt etc.

o       If the students do not understand that these feelings are normal and they can be resolved they are going to be more willing to give up or take the easy way out.

·         Give students the opportunity to search personal preference material at their own reading level.

o       This would provide motivation and the ability to succeed.

·         Introduce vocabulary before a project and encourage peer help

o       As teachers, we traditionally do this before starting any new chapter or assignment

·         Model skimming and scanning techniques and give time to practice.

o       Many students would think they have to read the entire article to find the information, and this could lead to information overload.

·         Explain the differences between databases, indexing and abstracting services, CD-ROM encyclopedias, and the Internet.

o       Going back to my previous blog on terminology, these terms are something that TL’s take for granted and use fluidly, but to someone new to the experience of researching, they could become very confusing.

Facilitation

·         Support small group and whole group discussions on search terms and strategies, as students can learn from one another’s experiences.

o       I have encountered this several times, where I have tried to explain something to a student until I am blue in the face. I then ask if a peer to assist in explaining, and voilà! they understand.

·         Encourage self talk, peer talk and talk with teachers and TLs during searches.

o       Everyone is definitely there to help.

·         Allow students with low literacy levels less work and extra time.

o       As a Special Education teacher, I laughed out loud that this needed to be included. Seems like common sense. 

·         Give students time to develop skills needed to help with the three main steps of searching – generating search terms, selecting topics/articles from a retrieved list and reading/skimming/scanning to locate information.

o       This goes back to the research models.

·         Focus on the three domains of human behaviour as discussed in Tenopir et al. (1999) – affective, cognitive and sensorimotor. Provide time for students to practice skills and strategies to apply at each step.

o       Kuhlthau uses these in her research model Information Seeking Process as well. Even if I did not necessarily chose to use this model, I would incorporate these within the model I choose, as I think it is important for the students to understand what they are thinking and doing is appropriate to the process.

Evaluation and Reflection

·         Support and encourage research projects in your school. Make your school available to enable researchers to carry out studies of importance to teachers and TLs.

o       This is not always possible and realistic and of course Branch has an invested reason to include this in her recommendations, as here paper is based on a study she conducted in a middle school.

·         Observe searching processes in your school and continue to test information seeking models in real life settings.

o       I thought this section of recommendations would be geared towards ways a TL can assist her students on evaluating and reflecting on their work, but instead it was more about reflection on how you will teach these skills and strategies.

 

Conclusion:

Times have definitely changed from when the information for a report or project was limited to what could be found within the four walls of the library. Back then it was easier for a TL to be an expert on her collection. Now with the Internet, it would be impossible. The TL has to adapt their approach to teaching research skills because of this. Branch’s article reinforced my belief that students need explicit instruction on how to research electronically. But they also need time to explore, ask questions and become comfortable with the process before being asked to complete a project.

 

 

Works Cited:

 Branch, Jennifer. "Helping Students Become Better Electronic Searchers." Teacher Librarian 30.1 (2002): 14. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. EBSCO. Web. 16 May 2011.