A Study of Students’ Inquiry-Based I-Search Learning Experiences

1. Doctoral Dissertation Oral Defense Meeting A Study of Students’ Inquiry-Based I-Search Learning Experiences Jing Lin Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology The University of Georgia Athens, Georgia (11/14/2007)

2. Why Do I Select the Topic? • Definition:Inquiry-Based Learning refers to a learning and teaching process, which usually begins with posing a problem or question, followed by generating and pursuing strategies for investigation, collaborating, reflecting, and justifying the solutions to the problem or answers to the question, and communicating the conclusions. The learning outcomes are higher-order thinking skills, knowledge development and adequate habit of mind. • Long-term endeavor from progressive movement, new curriculum movement to systemic reform. • It meets today’s fast-paced society’s needs for an individual to have a fulfilling live. • Inquiry-based learning is challenging. • Lack substantive understanding of students’ inquiry-based and/or I-Search learning experiences.

4. Purpose of the Study and Research Questions The goal of my study is to provide rich descriptions of students’ inquiry-based, I-Search learning experiences, as they engage in the I-Search process. • How do students choose their I-Search topics? • How do students generate their I-Search questions? • How do students explore information related to their I-Search topics? • How do students respond to their collected information? • How do students present their I-Search findings?

5. Methodology • Methodology: • Generic qualitative methodology • Research site: • A large, public Southeastern university in the spring of 2006 • A graduate online course in information literacy

6. Tallman and Joyce’s I-Search inquiry model and research questions Explore and respond to relevant information Present findings Decide on topics Generate questions Q1: How do students choose their I-Search topics? Q2: How do students generate their I-Search questions? Q3: How do students explore information related to their I-Search topics? Q4: How do students respond to their collected information? Q5: How do students present their I-Search findings?

7. Participants (Volunteer-based)

8. Personal webs and corresponding journal reflections Pre-notetaking sheet 1 and corresponding journal reflection Topic webs and corresponding journal reflections Background reading, pre-notetaking sheet 2 and corresponding journal reflections Double-entry drafts and corresponding journal reflection Final products Interview 1 Interview 2 Interviews3 Interview 4 Interview 5 Data collection and research questions. (p.112) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

9. Data Analysis Procedure (p.126) Open coding Open coding Open coding Open coding Open coding Case describe Individual Participant’s Data Analysis Categorize Categorize Categorize Categorize Categorize Describe Describe Describe Describe Describe First interview Second interview Personal web Topic web Corresponding journal reflections Third interview 2 Pre-notetaking sheets Corresponding journal reflection Background Reading Fourth interview Double-entry draft Corresponding journal reflection Fifth interview I-Search side paper Additional format of finding presentation Group data Group data Group data Group data Group data Read Read Read Read Read Cross Case Analysis Compare Compare Compare Compare Compare Open codes Categories Case descriptions Qualitative data related to topic selection Open codes Categories Case descriptions Qualitative data related to question generation Open codes Categories Case descriptions Qualitative data related to information exploration Open codes Categories Case descriptions Qualitative data related to respond to information Open codes Categories Case descriptions Qualitative data related to finding presentation

10. Overview of Participants’ Experiences [p.170)

11. Q1: How do students choose their I-Search topics? (p.172) Multiple methods [+] • Long-term interest • Usefulness or practicality • Foundation • Balance • Pressure reduction • Doable • Suggestions from other people Special issues • Prior knowledge [X] • Narrowing down within a topic [+] • Practical Implications: • Consider prior knowledge: encourage to select a topic that can help inquirer to gain new knowledge • Narrowing down within a topic scaffolding: explore the breath of the topic, explicitly emphasized the need to narrow down to a well defined focus Note: [X] - confirm literature; [+] - contribute to literature

12. Q2: How do students generate their I-Search questions? • Practical implications: • Help build adequate background knowledge to generate good research questions • Allow to change questions • Scaffold differently for essential questions and sub-questions • Consider how much knowledge gained through a question • Emphasize the need for compatibility between primary and secondary question • Essential questions • Two step method [+] • Sub-questions • When they were explicitly posed [+] • Vaguely posed at beginning • Explicitly posed at beginning • Clearly posed at the end • Methods [+] • Personal interests • Questions scaffolding • From What I Don’t Know • Other generated questions • Condensed several questions into one question • Impression from scanning materials • Special issues • Challenges [X] • Factual vs. higher-order [X] • Lack of new knowledge gained through a research question [+] • Incompatibility between essential question and sub-questions [+] • Question was based on incorrect suppositions [X]

13. Q3: How do students explore information related to their I-Search topics? • Multiple resources [X] • Internet information • Library resources • People’s lived experiences • Multiple Types of Resources • Multiple Criteria • Reliability [+X] • Camping philosophy [+] • Bible and personal belief [+] • Question as guidance [+] • Sub-questions • Essential questions • From generic to specific [+] • Organize [+] • Bookmark • Word document • Print out and/or sort • Special issues • Not guided by question [X] • Too much information [+] • Exploring information throughout I-Search process [+] • Practical Implications: • Encourage to explore information throughout the entire I-Search process • Be aware of different goals and strategies for exploring information • Reflect how personal preferences influencing one’s searching for information • Search information focusing on addressing research questions

14. Q4: How do students respond to their collected information? • Responses related to Research Questions[+] • Confirm knowledge [+] • Activate prior knowledge [X+] • Change knowledge [X] • Enrich knowledge [X+] • Identify knowledge gap [+] • Validate knowledge [X+] • Authority resources • Duplicated evidence • Methodological validation • Conflicting findings • Special issues • Difficult in writing double-entry drafts [+] • Different types of responses [+] • Practical Implications: • Encourage multiple responses, especially knowledge change and validation responses • Help write double-entry draft

15. Q5: How do students present their I-Search findings? • Format [+] • Individual issues • Technology skills • Context issues • Time • Influence from other people • Content [X] • Two step method • Practical Implications: • Help students to master necessary technology skills • Give enough time for making final products

16. Tentative Model for Scaffolding Students’ I-Search • Build adequate background knowledge to generate good research questions • Scaffold differently for essential questions and sub-questions • Consider how much knowledge gained through a question • Allow to change questions • Emphasize the need for compatibility between primary and secondary question Emphasize multiple types of responses Consider possible approaches Explore information guided by research question Generate primary question Select a topic Present findings Generate sub-questions Narrowing down to a well defined focus Make meaning out of information Consider prior knowledge and new knowledge Teach tech, Enough time Explore information throughout the entire I-Search process Different goals and strategies, reflect on personal preferences

17. Research Implications • It is not clear what students’ experience will be like if they follow the revised inquiry model. • Consider additional criterion for assessing question • A more detailed picture of interactions between inquiry-based questions and information exploration • Discourse • Reflection

18. Thank You! Thank You! References see Dissertation p251