ED 5103 Educational Research

ED 5103 Educational Research--Dr. Fuller

Prepared by Sarah Brick Archer
Assistant Professor of Library Services
Resource Coordinator for the Departments of
Fine Arts, Languages & Literature,
Communication & Art, and Interim Coordinator
for the Department of Educational Foundations
and Leadership
Office: L308B
Ext. #3267
home page: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/%7Earchersa/

Why do research?

Research can lead to information; information can lead to knowledge, and knowledge is powerful. Understanding the process of research is a lifelong learning skill. It is useful in academic, professional, and personal endeavors. All of the informational resources available originated from someone being curious about something, exploring it, and sharing the findings.

Information Cycle:

The cycle of information is an interesting one. Research starts with an idea. Someone becomes curious about something and wants to explore it. Literature reviews are conducted, empirical evidence is gathered. The researcher may wish to cross disciplinary lines and take a literary theory and apply it to another field. The researcher writes an article. If the article adds to the body of knowledge or presents a new concept, a journal in that discipline might be interested in publishing it. Article submissions go through a reviewing process in which multiple reviewers will read and comment on the article. This is an example of a refereed journal article. If it passes the review process, the article is published in the journal. Indexers read journal articles and assign subject headings to the articles and place the citation in indexes (such as MLA Bibliography). Researchers comb indexes to find articles, and the whole cycle starts over. This is a cycle that occurs right here at NSU. Our faculty and students are publishing. You can become a part of the process, too. Exciting, isn't it?

The Flow of Information (from the UCLA College Library and NWACC) depicts how information about an event can be represented in different types of resources. Understanding how information is disseminated helps to know where to look and the attributes of each format.

Database Concepts:

Check for scope notes that identify the contents of the database. What subject areas are included? What types of materials are indexed? What dates are covered?
Within the database, look for help screens for complete information on how to search it effectively.
Look for an online thesaurus which lists controlled vocabulary or subject terms that are used by indexers in the database.
Look for suggestions on using boolean search operators. Is there an advanced search option? What is the truncation symbol?
Find ways to limit a search. For instance, can the search be limited by full text, educational level or date?

Resources:

What	Where	Why
Reference books Encyclopedia of Educational Research Ref. LB 15.E48 Educational Research Methodology and Measurement: An International Handbook Ref. LB 1028.E3184 Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children Ref. LB 1119.H25 Statistics: Education Statistics of the United States Ref. LA 201.E38 Projections of Education Statistics to 2009 Ref. Educational Research Service publications National Center for Education Statistics National Center for Education Information Tests: Mental Measurements Yearbook Buros Center for Testing Tests in Print Ref. LB3051 .T45 Test Critiques Ref. BF176 .T419 1984 Tests: A comprehensive reference... Ref. BF176 .T43 1997	first floor Search as author on Library Catalog	Provide an overview to a topic. Also good for statistical sources.
Books	Library Catalog	histories, definitions of terms, explanation of theories, in-depth analysis
Journals	ERIC Professional Development Collection Education Full Text	applications of theories, current trends, research studies Subject headings: Educational research, Literature reviews, Statistical analysis, Statistical surveys,
Government Publications	U.S. Department of Education U.S. Dept. of Education--Research & Statistics National Center for Education Statistics National Assessment of Educational Progress Policy and Program Studies Service No Child Left Behind No Child Left Behind-OK Oklahoma Department of Education
Oklahoma Newspapers	NewsBank Newsfile
Internet	Internet Public Library: Education Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

Evaluating what is found:

1. Identify the author(s) and determine his/her credentials. Does the author have a degree in the field; is the author a professor; does the author have other works published on similar topics?
2. What is the date of the publication? Currency is important in most fields. It is especially important for Web pages.
3. Does the publisher have a good reputation? Is the resource published by a professional association or university press? Is the journal refereed? For Web sites, check the URL to determine the sponsor. Gov sites are government sites; com are commercial; edu are educational.
4. How do the critics perceive the work? Are there reviews available?
5. Is the material complete? Does it have an index, bibliography. Is it well written with few grammatical or spelling errors?
6. Is the language slanted or biased?
7. Does it include references to well known facts or research studies?
8. For Web pages, do the links work?

Search Strategy

The Research Strategies CLIP tutorial can provide an overview to getting started in researching a topic.

Identify topic--search current journals, and professional association Web sites (National Association for the Education of Young Children) to see what is topical.
Determine type of resource (books, journals, etc.) to best answer the question. Journals are more technical and scholarly than magazines. They are published less often than magazines and are usually on specific topics.
Use the databases listed below and limit the search to peer reviewed.
Identify keywords and descriptors used in the database to represent the concept.
Construct the search using boolean operators.
Check ways to limit the search.
Use database help screens for information on refining the search.
Read titles and abstracts to determine which articles would be useful.
Read the articles critically to determine the quality of the publication.
Email or print the articles.
Do not plagiarize or use other people's work without giving credit to them.
Cite the sources using APA.

Prepared by Sarah Brick Archer, February 2, 2005.
Return to Sarah's Instruction Page.