1. What surprises you about the strategies digital age students use as they conduct research for course assignments?
I wasn't really surprised by this study. One thing that did strike me as interesting was the change in reasoning for procrastination among college students. I thought it was telling that students procrastinate because of other work they have to complete. My initial thought was that this had to do with the "fervor" of pundits and, as a result, the pressure placed on Instructors, to challenge students to do "more, more, more." I'm not sure if this would hold true under scrutnity but I wonder if this reaction is attributed to growing pains associated with teaching more efficiently and explicitly in the types of skills students need.
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| created by Jerry King, Used with permission: From Now On. |
2. How accurately do the findings from this study reflect your own research strategies?
I'm (sorry to say) it reflected my own research strategies to a "T." I found this to ring true particularly true in the "resources prioritization" section.
I find myself most overwhelmed by the amount of information I find about a subject. I had never connected that this feeling might be tempered if I changed my research methods.
3. This study provides a detailed description of the parameters of research assignments typical required for academia. How does it differ from the kinds of research people do in the workplace?
Every workplace is different, but it differs greatly. As an educator, the principle research I do is related to finding teaching resources, for example: lesson planning.The other ways I research are usually in troubleshooting products (computers, smartboards etc.). When I worked in the non-profit world, research I would conduct related to writing grants for funding. This typically required demographic information about the population we would serve, and we would usually "recycle" that information from grant to grant.
4. Do you think the recommendations to improve research process for college students will better prepare students for the world outside of school?
Research needed in the workplace relies on knowing the validity and relevance of the information. It requires a knowledge of information literacy. I think this recommendation will better prepare students for the world:
Instead, we recommend that students be given course-related research assignments that encourage the collection, analysis, and synthesis of multiple viewpoints from a variety of sources, so the transfer of information literacy and critical thinking competencies may be more actively called up, practiced, and learned by students. (Hand & Eisenberg, 2009)
Resources:
Hand, A., & Eisenberg, M. (2009). How college students seek information in the digital age. Project information literacy progress report.
I agree with you. I was not surprised by this study at all. In my undergrad - I'm not going to lie - I did most of the things they talked about!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the students reasoning for procrastination. I found myself doing that a lot during my undergrad. It wasn't that I didn't want to do the work, it was that I was juggling a full class load, along with clinical hours and working. I think most students have to balance school and work, and their procrastination stems from that.
ReplyDeleteYou should not feel sorry for how you do your research stategies, one of the study findings is that we go with what we are comfortable with, close at hand tried and true. Why deviate from what you do? I feel students today are so comfortable with the fast/instant results that they can procrastinate.In my class I have students turn stuff in regularly just make sure they are not procrstinating.
ReplyDeleteJust like you, this study was no surprise to me. I do a lot of quick google research in my every day life.
ReplyDeleteSo one thing I think is interesting for educators to think about when comparing research strategies in the workplace compared to school has to do with, as Vanessa pointed out, validity and relevance of the information.
ReplyDeleteThe problem for educators is that unlike in the workplace where people have more expertise and working knowledge with the content they are locating information more whereas students are novices with limited understanding of the content. As educators we need to structure research assignments with this in mind.
I often get overwhelmed with all the information and sources I can get about a topic over the Internet. I do have to admit how well my professors have been at structuring assignments that deal with software and programs that I'm not familiar with, such as TrackStar. However, it, in itself, is a good way to structure research projects for students.
ReplyDelete