EAC 551: Introduction to Research in AHE
Librarian: Amy VanScoy
This module will introduce you to the basic principles and skills involved
in conducting research in the discipline of education. More specifically,
this module will focus on conducting that research at the NCSU Libraries.
By the end of this module you will be able to:
- Make use of research resources, tools and services available through the
NCSU Libraries.
- Understand the difference between scholarly, peer reviewed journal articles
and mainstream, non-scholarly sources.
- Identify, locate, and obtain 6 scholarly, peer reviewed journal articles
(3 quantitative, 3 qualitative) in the areas of Adult Education, Higher Education,
and/or Training and Development.
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Getting Started with Education Research
To complete this module, you will need to search some of the article databases
available through the NCSU Libraries Databases at
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/searchcollection/databases/.
In particular, it is recommended that you start by searching the ERIC database,
which covers the journal literature in the area of education. Another useful
education database is Academic Search Premier. Other pertinent databases
might include PsycInfo (which covers topics such as educational psychology
and organizational psychology), Business Source Premier (which
covers training and development topics) and Web of Science (which tracks
bibliographies and citation patterns in the social sciences).
Before you begin searching in the databases, read the information covered
in the guide 'Getting
Started with Education Research.' This guide reviews the 5 basic steps
of the research process at the NCSU Libraries:
- Step 1: Know the 3 NCSU Libraries Research Tools
- Step 2: Searching for Research Articles
- Step 3: Know How to Search Efficiently
- Step 4: Locating the Articles You Find
- Step 5: Know Where to Get Help if You Have Questions
In addition, the guide contains tips for searching the databases as well as information about
locating the articles for which you have found references. There is also
an animated tutorial for ERIC available.
For additional information about conducting education research, consult the
following tutorial:
Researching Topics in Education: A Tutorial --
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/education/EduResearch.html
For information about searching the ERIC database, consult:
ERIC Animated Tutorial -- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/eric/
ERIC via EBSCOHost Searching
Tips -- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/eric/erictips.html
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Identifying and Evaluating Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Scholarly, peer reviewed journal articles have been evaluated by other scholars
and experts in the field before the research is published (these are also
known as referreed journals). For more information about specific criteria
for scholarly peer reviewed articles, see http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/sp/.
The criteria pertain to an articles' content, author, audience, language, layout and organization, and bibliography.
Some Examples of Different Types of Sources
- Journal of Higher Education -- Scholarly, Peer Reviewed/Referreed
- Chronicle of Higher Education -- Non-Scholarly, Newspaper
- T&D -- Trade Publication, Non-Scholarly
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Reading Activity
Read the following article and consider the Questions for Reflection.
Boote, D. N. & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars
before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review
in research preparation. Educational
Researcher, 34(6), 3-15.
Activity Option #1: Post your reaction to the
article, as well as your answers to some of the Questions for Reflection,
in the discussion forum.
Activity Option #2: Apply information literacy
concepts to the article. Discuss the following in a posting
to the discussion forum:
- What is the nature of the information and documentation
in the article? What is the main thesis of the article and how is it supported?
- What is the purpose and intended audience of the article?
- What are the author's credentials?
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Questions for Reflection
- What is the value of a discipline-specific database such as ERIC?
- What are some of the basic things you should consider when selecting and
evaluating an article?
- How might the information literacy and research skills you develop while
conducting research be transferable to other settings and situations?
What basic principles remain the same and what might be different?
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Practice Exercises
Here are some practice exercises that will allow you to apply the information
covered in this module, and assist you in becoming more familiar with the
process of conducting research in the area of education. If you need additional
practice searching ERIC, consult the online
animated tutorial and searching tips.
Practice Exercise #1
Conduct a search in the ERIC database (via EBSCO) using the keywords adult
education and skill development. For this search, also set some limiters:
specifiy a publication date range of Jan. 1997 - present, and also limit the
search to Journal Articles only. How many results did you get? Identify one
article of interest and cite the reference. What are the Descriptor/Thesaurus
terms associated with that reference?
Practice Exercise #2
Conduct a search in ERIC using the keywords transfer of training and
adult education. Mark 3 records of interest and e-mail the references
to yourself (Hint: use the Folder icons). Choose one article to locate
that is not immediately available in full text -- be sure to choose one
that has the Find
Text @ NCSU button as an option. How is this article available
-- that is, what format(s) are available and how would you go about
locating the item? What information do you need to successfully obtain
this item?
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Library Resources
NCSU Libraries Homepage -- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/
Contact the NCSU Libraries at 919-515-2935 or Ask
a Librarian.
NCSU Libraries Catalog
-- http://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/
InterLibrary Loan
-- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tripsaver/
Request items that are not a part of our collection from other libraries,
free of charge.
How
to Get Journal Articles -- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/instruction/finding_articles/
Subject Guide:
Education -- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/education/
Research
Tips -- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/researchtips/
APA Style and Plagiarism Guide -- http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/apaplag/
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Assignment
The assignment for this module is to complete the following task:
Identify, locate, and obtain 6 scholarly, peer reviewed
journal articles (3 quantitative, 3 qualitative) in the areas of Adult
Education, Higher Education, and/or Training and Development. Provide
a bibliography of the references you have selected.
Hint #1: Review Step
3 of the research process.
Hint #2: Consider using thesaurus terms such as Qualitative Research
or Statistical Analysis in your search.
Librarian Contact Information
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