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Helping Students Understand their Role in the Research Process

This presentation focuses on helping students properly evaluate, incorporate authoritative information, and understand research limitations in order to become college-level researchers. The session covers evaluation, incorporation, and limitation, with suggestions and group discussions.

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Helping Students Understand their Role in the Research Process

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  1. Helping Students Understand their Role in the Research Process Christina Connor, M.A., M.S.I.S. Faculty Development Day Ramapo College of NJ March 9, 2016

  2. What do we want from our students? • Properly evaluate the information they use • Incorporate authoritative information • Understand research limitations We want our students to be college-level researchers!

  3. Today • Cover three areas: • Evaluation • Incorporation • Limitation • Structure: • (FOR EACH) Provide overview of common student mistakes, a suggestion on dealing with mistakes, followed by group discussion

  4. Evaluation • Typically only conduct a basic evaluation of sources • Author • Publication date • Type of source • Overly trusting on sources • Blinders to red-flag issues with sources

  5. NOTHING TO SEE HERE What students see:

  6. What? Who? What students NEED to see and ask:

  7. Evaluation • Need students to take off the rose-colored glasses • Advanced evaluation • Place source in context of the time • Address any biases within the source • Comparison of source to other sources

  8. Suggestions to Evaluation • Practice evaluating sources in class • News sources • Ask students: What is the journalist using for sources? How is the argument presented?

  9. Brad Knickerbocker Staff, writer. "What happens if Hillary Clinton doesn't run? Chaos for Democrats." Christian Science Monitor, March 22, 2015., N.PAG, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 7, 2016).

  10. Suggestions to Evaluation • Practice evaluating sources in class • News sources • Ask students: What is the journalist using for sources? How is the argument presented? • Academic journals • Ask students: How does the author present their research? What are the main points of the argument?

  11. Ming-Chiu Wong, Steven, and Yap Foong Ha. "Did Obamacare create new jobs?" – An analysis of Mitt Romney's use of rhetorical questions in the 2012 US presidential election campaign." Text & Talk 35, no. 5 (September 2015): 643-668. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 7, 2016).

  12. Let’s discuss! • What are some tricks you use to help students better evaluate information in their research?

  13. From Authority to Synthesis • Authority does not mean the source is right for the research • Students need to understand sources have a purpose in the paper/project

  14. Incorporation • Common mistakes • Over generalization • Seeing requirements as part of a checklist • Cherry-picking information

  15. Incorporation • Correcting the mistakes • Sources need to communicate with each other, not just sit next to each other • Encourage students to play moderator between sources • Help students understand that sources play a role in their paper

  16. Suggestions to Incorporation • Annotated Bibliographies • First layer: Summary of the source • Second layer: Evaluation of the text • Third layer*: Reflection on its applicability to the student’s research

  17. OWL @ Purdue Example for Annotated Bibliography Summary Evaluation Reflection

  18. Suggestions to Incorporation • Annotated Bibliographies • First layer: Summary of the source • Second layer: Evaluation of the text • Third layer*: Reflection on its applicability to the student’s research • Limiting source citations • Over reliance on one source

  19. Let’s discuss! • What are some tricks you use to help students better integrate information into their research?

  20. Limitations • Internet gives the impression all topics have sources • Some topics require more investment then students realize • Timing is everything

  21. Limitations • Drawbacks to providing students with a topic • Little to no investment in process • Limits curiosity • Makes research process reactive instead of proactive

  22. Suggestions to Limitations • Getting students thinking about appropriate topics • Possible exercise: Provide themes pared with an “inappropriate” thesis. Have students construct a better thesis using theme and original thesis as guides. • When a student has a topic which may have research limitations, help them construct something better with a connection to original idea.

  23. Let’s discuss! • What are some tricks you use to help students construct appropriate research topics?

  24. Additional Thoughts • Students need to feel connected to the research they conduct – even if it’s a topic outside their major. • Encourage students to explore topics that will make them excited in the research process • To be college researchers, students need to take a more proactive and less passive approach to the process.

  25. Questions? Comments? • Christina Connor, M.A., M.S.I.S. • George T. Potter Library • cconnor@ramapo.edu • 201-684-7581 Thank you!

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