ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries October 1 9 9 2 / 5 8 3 Information retrieval and evaluation skills for educa­ tion students W h a t e d u c a tio n s tu d e n ts n e e d tc k n o w T his document is a complete rewriting of the 1981 “Bibliographic competencies for education students” that was created by the E cation and Behavioral Sciences Section-Biblio­ graphic Instruction for Educators Committee (EBSS-BIE). Because of changing technologies, education reform initiatives, and new concep­ tual models for information skills instruction, the EBSS-BIE Committee decided that a new statement was essential. In preparation for this task, committee members conducted interviews in Spring 1988 with numerous education fac­ ulty to learn their opinions about changes needed in the competencies statements. The committee also hosted a forum at the New Or­ leans 1988 summer ALA conference, during which teaching faculty and a school librarian reacted to the document and provided their ideas about what information and research skills were needed by teacher education and gradu­ ate students. During the next two years com­ mittee members prepared the present docu­ ment, “Information retrieval and evaluation skills for education students,” which is based on the Bibliographic Instruction Section Task Force’s 1987 Model Statement o f Objectives. The BIS Model Statement o f Objectives has been important in establishing a new conceptual foundation for instructional objectives designed to teach in­ formation retrieval and evaluation skills in an environment of automated catalogs and data­ bases and sophisticated manipulation of ac­ cess points. Information Power( 1988), prepared by the American Association of School Librar­ ies, provided the conceptual foundation for Goal VI. This document has also benefited from the “Information literacy for educators” statement prepared at the University of Nebraska, Kearney du­(1990). Purpose The document’s purpose is to assist instruction librarians working with faculty in education and related areas of study to clarify precise instruc­ tional objectives. The committee hopes that the language is sufficiently clear to allow practicing librarians to share some or all of these goals and termi­ nal objectives with departmental faculty. It is designed for the use of librarians as they work with faculty in teaching students the concepts of searching, retrieving, and evaluating infor­ mation in education and its related fields. This document is intended to reflect the important role of school library media specialists as part­ ners with teachers in curriculum development and information skills instruction. In this way library/information literacy skills instruction contributes directly to teacher education cur­ riculum reform initiatives that emphasize criti­ cal thinking, problem-solving skills develop­ ment, and collaborative partnerships among teachers, school library media specialists, and teacher education faculty. We maintain that before graduation all teacher education students must demonstrate a basic level of skills in seek­ ing, retrieving, and evaluating information. Prepared by A C P I 's E d u ca tio n a n d B ehavioral Sciences Section ’s (EBSS) Bibliographic In stru c tio n f o r Educators C om m ittee M em bers (1991—1992): B o n n ie Gratch, c h a ir (1 9 8 9 -1 9 9 2 ) a n d P a t Libutti, co-chair (1 9 9 1 -1 9 9 2 ); B a rb a ra Duke, F rances Jacobson, M ary B eth M inick, N a n c y O ’H anlon, D ottie Persson, E ileen Schroeder, Thom as Tollman; a n d p rio r m em bers (1 9 8 9 -1 9 9 0 ): Leslie B jo m c ra n tz , Jo A n n Carr, B arbara Celone, M a ry Clarkson, D o n n a Gilton, M ary Hinkle, B a rb a ra K o m stein , Jo A n n M ulvihill,M ary Nofsinger, Sally Weimer, a n d E veline Yang. 5 8 4 / C&RL News These goals and objectives statements are equally appropriate for the instructional needs of graduate students in education and allied areas. They can be used to design com prehen­ sive instructional programs, individual course sessions, or any combination thereof. We en­ courage instruction librarians to pick and choose from the broad goals and terminal ob­ jectives that are pertinent to their local situa­ tion. From these they can then develop more specific, behavioral objectives that are tool- based and institution-based, if desired. Those provided in Part II are intended to be illustra­ tive of two possible applications. Structure The docum ent consists of two parts: Part I iden­ tifies the broad goals and terminal objectives which are organized according to the follow­ ing sequence: G eneration a n d com m unication o f k n o w ledge in education —> Intellectual access — ›B ib lio g rap h ic re p re se n ta tio n o f inform ation so u rces — › Physi­ cal access a n d ev alu atio n o f inform ation sources — › C ollaborative roles o f teach ers a n d sc h o o l li­ b rary m edia specialists A “Glossary” and “Reference” section con­ clude Part I. Part II contains two examples of applications of some goals and objectives in Part I. These applications provide specific b e­ havioral objectives and activities from which to plan instructional sessions for an undergradu­ ate social studies methods course and a gradu­ ate research methods course. User audience Because institutions, library settings, and indi­ vidual needs vary greatly, the user audience for w hom this docum ent is intended is broadly defined. The committee elected not to prescribe separate terminal objectives reflecting educa­ tional level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate) or educational role (e.g., practitioner, researcher) in recognition of several factors. At any educa­ tional level students possess a different knowl­ edge base regarding the information gathering process and are in pursuit of a range of indi­ vidual information needs and interests. In the same vein, the activities of practitioners and researchers are not mutually exclusive, and, in fact, the various roles of educators often inter­ twine. Therefore, the term “learner” is to be understood in its broadest sense as encompass­ ing undergraduate students, graduate students, practitioners, and researchers. Part I. Goals and objectives G eneration a n d com m unication o f in form a­ tion a n d k n ow ledge in ed u ca tio n GOAL I. The learner is aware that knowl­ edge in education and its related disciplines is com posed of a variety of types of recorded and unrecorded information sources and under­ stands how the body of recorded sources is generated and communicated. Objective A. The learner understands that educators belong to a specific discipline or sub­ discipline with associated professional organi­ zations and an identifiable body of literature. Objective B. The learner comprehends the typical publication cycle of information sources in education and understands the differences in authority of these sources. Objective C. The learner realizes the effects of evolving information technologies on the gen­ eration, communication, and access of information. Intellectual access GOAL II. The learner knows how informa­ tion sources in education and its related areas o f study are intellectually accessed. Objective A. The learner formulates and re­ fines a topic of interest into a question. Sub-Objectives: 1) The learner understands w hen an initial topic may be too broad or too narrow and can formulate it into a research­ able question by making adjustments in scope, perspective, or time frame. 2) The learner re­ alizes w hen a topic/research question is disci­ pline-specific or interdisciplinary in scope. Objective B. The learner develops a basic ap­ proach or strategy appropriate to the purpose, scope, time frame of the topic/research ques­ tion, and required end product. Objective C. The learner knows that there are specialized access or finding tools for educa­ tion and its related disciplines and can match these tools to the types of desired information sources identified in the search strategy. Sub-Objectives: 1) The learner recognizes that there are different access tools for the profes­ sional and research literature of education; for the type of instructional/curricular materials; for the type of media; and for particular in fo rm a­ tion needs, such as statistical, biographical, le­ gal, etc. 2) The learner recognizes that access tools vary in format and organization, and that this determines how they are used. 3) The learner realizes that access tools have different strengths and limitations and that none are com­ prehensive in scope. O ctober 1 9 9 2 / 5 8 5 4. The learner knows that the reference li­ brarian is a valuable resource to suggest ap­ propriate tools and to explain how to use them. Objective D. The learner understands that finding tools have access points and knows how to manipulate them to locate bibliographic citations an d /o r abstracts or annotations. Sub-Objectives: 1) The learner knows that the three major access points in finding tools are: author, title, and subject. 2) The learner recog­ nizes that some finding tools provide additional access points, such as keywords, codes, report numbers, publication types. 3) The learner u n ­ derstands how tools using a controlled vocabu­ lary differ from those using natural language and knows how to translate the research ques­ tion into the controlled vocabulary. Bibliographic rep resen ta tio n o f inform ation so u rce s GOAL III. The learner knows how informa­ tion sources in education and its related disci­ plines are bibliographically represented and how this understanding can help determine the usefulness of the source. Objective A. The learner com prehends that the specific pieces of information need ed to represent information sources are arranged in a particular structure called a “citation.” Objective B. The learner knows how to interpret and apply the information in bibliographic citations. Objective C. The learner recognizes that cita­ tions may be useful in evaluating the potential relevance of information sources to a specific information need or question. P h y s ic a l a c c e s s a n d evalu ation o f in fo rm a ­ tio n s o u rc e s GOAL IV. The learner understands how collec­ tions of information sources are physically or­ ganized and accessed in libraries/media centers. Objective A. The learner understands that li­ braries/media centers and library systems may group information sources by subject, format, pub­ lisher, type of material, or special audience. Objective B. The learner understands that li­ braries/m edia centers use some type o f n u ­ meric or alphanumeric system to assign a unique address to most items in the collection. Objective C. The learner understands that in­ dividual items within a library’s/m edia center’s collections are represented in special holdings or location files and catalogs. Objective D. The learner realizes that he/she is not limited to only those information sources contained in local collections. GOAL V. The learner understands the im­ portance of evaluating information sources. Objective A. The learner com prehends the significance of evaluating an author’s creden­ tials and knows how to do this. Objective B. The learner recognizes that the G lo s s a r y (D efinitions co m e from com m ittee m em b ers a n d th e ACRL/BIS M odel S ta te m e n t o f Objectives.) Access: to identify a n d /o r retrieve inform ation. A ccess points: specific p ie c e s o f inform ation id e n tified as b e in g u seful to th e retrieval o f infor­ mation, such as subject, author, report num ber, etc. A ccess/F inding tools: so u rces th at le a d th e u se r to th e actual inform ation o r d ata su c h as p e rio d i­ cal in dexes, o n lin e datab ases, catalogs, o r bibliog­ raphies. B ib lio g ra p h ic access: th e identification o f in­ fo rm a tio n so u rc e s b y a cce ss p o in ts com m o n ly fo u n d in th e citation. C itation: sp e cific p ie c e s o f in fo rm a tio n a r­ ra n g e d in a p articu lar o rd e r w h ic h re p re se n t an in fo rm atio n source. C o n tro lled v o ca b u la ry: s ta n d a rd te rm s a n d p h ra se s th at are u s e d to re p re se n t su b je cts/to p ics o r au th o rsh ip o f inform ation sources. T h ese term s a n d p h ra se s a re listed in a th e s a u ru s o r authority file w h ic h usu a lly relates th em to e a c h o th e r b y a h ierarc h al o r so m e o th e r arrangem ent. In fo rm a tio n : ideas, facts, data, a n d im agina­ tive w o rk s o f th e m in d w h ic h h av e b e e n co m m u ­ n icated, re c o rd e d , p u b lish e d a n d /o r distrib u ted form ally o r inform ally in a n y form at. In fo r m a tio n source: a single entity from w h ich inform ation is retrieved. Examples: a p erso n , book, journal article, in d ex , v id e o ta p e , o r test. In te lle c tu a l access: th e isolating or selecting o f u seful inform ation from inform ation so u rces o r systems. Learner: for th e p u rp o s e o f this d o cu m en t, le a rn e r in clu d es an y o n e seeking a n d learning h o w to access a n d ev alu ate inform ation, su c h as u n d e r­ g rad u ates, g ra d u a te stu d e n ts, p ractitioners, a n d faculty re se a rc h e rs in ed u catio n . Location file: a source (catalog, list, file) which identifies the physical location o f information sources. P h ysica l access: th e ph y sic al retrieval o f an in fo rm atio n source. R ecorded in fo rm a tio n source: a physical entity in a n y m e d iu m u p o n w h ic h is re c o rd e d all o r p a rt o f a w ork or multiple works. Examples: book, journal article, m ap, videotape, or com puter database. U nrecorded in fo r m a tio n source: oral co m m u ­ nication, su c h as in fo rm atio n o b ta in e d from inter­ v iew s o r from c o n su ltin g a n expert. 5 8 6 / C&RL News purpose of the author or publisher may in part determine the usefulness of the source. Objective C. The learner recognizes the im­ portance of introductory material, table of con­ tents, appendices, summary, and/or abstract in evaluating the scope, limitations, and special features of the information source and its useful­ ness for the specific information need/question. Objective D. The learner knows the differ­ ences between scholarly and popular informa­ tion sources and how to use them appropriately. C ollaborative ro le s o f te a c h e rs a n d lib ra ry m edia sp ecia lists GOAL VI. The learner recognizes that the school library media specialist is a partner who actively collaborates in teaching information seeking and analysis skills to K-12 students and in curriculum development and planning. (For a complete treat­ ment of collaborative roles, see the guidelines in Information Power, 1988.) Objective A. The learner recognizes his/her responsibility as an educator to provide mul­ tiple opportunities for students to develop and practice a variety of basic information seeking and analysis skills in the context of classroom assignments. Objective B. The learner demonstrates the ability to w ork in collaboration with the library media specialist to reinforce the information retrieval and evaluation skills necessary to uti­ lize the library media center. Objective C. The learner identifies the types of services provided by the library media spe­ cialist in support of general curriculum plan­ ning and development activities. Objective D The learner identifies how the library media specialist acts as a partner with the classroom teacher in designing, implement­ ing, and evaluating instruction. References ACRL/BIS Task Force on the Model Statement of Objectives. “Model statement of objectives for academic bibliographic instruction.” C&RL News4S:5 (May 1987): 256-61. ACRL/EBSS Bibliographic Instruction for Edu­ cators Committee. “Bibliographic instruction: bibliographic competencies for education stu­ dents.” C&RL News 42:7 (July 1981): 209-10. American Association of School Librarians and Association of Educational Communication and Technology. Information Power Guidelines fo r School Media Programs. Chicago: ALA, 1988. Example 1: Undergraduate social studies methods course Scenario P ro fesso r Linden, w h o is teach in g a social stu d ies m e th o d s co u rse for un d e rg ra d u a te e d u c a tio n m a­ jors, h a s a s k e d th e e d u c a tio n lib ra rian to p re p a re h e r stu d e n ts (p rim arily ju n io rs) to find a v ariety o f re so u rc e s to d e v e lo p a u n it o f activities o n th e V ietnam W ar for a 9th -g rad e social stu d ies course. T hey have d isc u sse d lesso n p la n n in g in class. She h as also a s k e d th at th e y le a rn h o w to u se ERIC to lo cate inform ation o n le s so n p la n n in g a n d te a c h ­ in g te c h n iq u e s fo r th e social stu d ie s classroom . O n e 90 -m in u te s e ss io n h a s b e e n s c h e d u le d . Stu­ d e n ts h av e h a d p re v io u s e x p e rie n c e u sin g th e o n lin e c a talo g a n d Library o f C o n g ress Subject H ead in g s. T he s tu d e n t as sig n m e n t will b e d o n e o u ts id e class. Lesson goal T he learn er will effectively u se library a n d /o r m e­ dia c e n te r reso u rces in lesso n plan n in g o n a given topic. M aterials 1. O v erh ead p rojector (w ith LCD, if available) a n d projector p en s 2. CD-ROM o r on lin e version o f ERIC for de m o n ­ stration a n d h a n d s-o n practice (o r RIE an d CIJE) 3. Library OP AC term inals o r card catalog 4. Files/catalogs to curriculum materials collections 5. M o n th ly Catalog o n CD-ROM, online, or print 6. T ransparencies (to b e locally pro d u ced ): a) Translating a q u estio n into a search strategy; b) In d e x es/ca ta lo g s ap p ro p riate for this topic; c) Use o f descriptors/subject head in g s in ERIC; d) B oolean op erato rs Lesson objectives 1. T he learn er will select an asp ect o f th e Viet­ n am W ar o n w h ich to d ev elo p a n d form ulate a se arc h strategy for locating curriculum m aterials ap p ro p riate to th e subject area, educational level, a n d specific stu d e n t n eed s. This strategy will b e ju d g ed o n its ap p ro p ria te n e ss to th e sc o p e, p u r­ p o se, tim e fram e, a n d o th e r asp ects o f th e lesson to p ic (su p p o rts G oal II, O bjectives A a n d B). 2. T he learn er will identify at least four infor­ m ation retrieval tools that will b e useful in locat­ ing different ty p es a n d form ats o f reso u rces o n th e V ietnam W ar (e.g., access tools to curriculum guides, textbooks, co m p u te r softw are, videotapes, O ctober 1 9 9 2 / 5 8 7 a n d g o v e r n m e n t d o c u m e n ts ) ( s u p p o r ts G o a l II, O bjectiv e C). 3. T h e le a r n e r w ill fo rm u la te a s tra te g y fo r lo c a t­ in g in fo rm a tio n in e a c h o f th e to o ls id e n tifie d , in c lu d in g s e le c tin g a p p r o p ria te a c c e s s p o in ts . T h e le a r n e r w ill c o m b in e c o n c e p ts as n e c e s s a ry a n d a p p r o p ria te in th e to o ls s e le c te d (s u p p o r ts G o a l II, O b je c tiv e D). 4. T h e le a r n e r w ill u s e e a c h o f th e s e le c te d r e ­ trie v al to o ls a lo n g w ith th o s e liste d b e lo w to lo ­ c a te a t le a s t o n e c ita tio n to b a c k g r o u n d o r c u r ­ ric u lu m m a te ria ls o n h i s / h e r to p ic in e a c h to o l, in te r p re t t h e s e a rc h re su lts , a n d e v a lu a te th e a p ­ p r o p ria te n e s s o f e a c h c ita tio n fo r h i s / h e r in fo rm a ­ tio n n e e d . If n o listin g s a re f o u n d , t h e le a r n e r w ill m o d ify th e s e a rc h te rm s a n d try a g a in . If n o list­ in g s a r e f o u n d , h e / s h e w ill d o c u m e n t t h e s e a rc h p ro c e s s b y e x p la in in g s e a rc h te rm (s ) u s e d a n d y e a rs o f fin d in g to o l s e a r c h e d ( s u p p o r ts G o a l II, O b je c tiv e D; G o a l HI, O b je c tiv e s B a n d C). a. Library a n d / o r m e d ia c e n te r’s OPAC o r card c a ta lo g b. M o n th ly C atalog o f U.S. G o v e r n m e n t P u b lic a ­ tio n s on CD-ROM, o n lin e , o r in p rin t fo rm at c. S p ecialized lib ra ry a n d /o r m e d ia c e n te r ca ta ­ lo g s (e.g ., v id e o /film c o llectio n catalogs, p ic tu re / slid e files) (su p p o rts G oal II, O b jectiv e C; G o al IV, O b jectiv es C a n d D) 5. T he le a rn e r will lo cate th e d e s ire d so u rc e s in th e library a n d / o r m e d ia c e n te r a n d e x p la in h o w to o b ­ tain th e m aterials n o t f o u n d in th e co lle c tio n (s u p ­ p o rts G o al IV, O b jectiv es A, B, C, a n d D). 6. T h e le a rn e r will u s e th e ERIC sy ste m to find at le a s t o n e article o r d o c u m e n t o n u n it p la n n in g a n d o n e o n te a c h in g m e th o d s o r activities. T h e se will b e ju d g e d o n a p p ro p ria te n e s s to th e to p ic (s u p p o rts G o al V, O b jectiv es C a n d D). 7. F o r e a c h in fo rm a tio n s o u r c e re trie v e d , th e l e a r n e r w ill a n a ly z e th e im p lic a tio n s o f a u t h o r / p u b lis h e r /p r o d u c e r c re d e n tia ls, th e p u r p o s e o f th e w o rk , a n d th e in s titu tio n a l a ffilia tio n s o f th e p e r ­ s o n o r g r o u p o n th e c re d ib ility a n d re lia b ility o f th e in fo rm a tio n ( s u p p o r ts G o a l V, O b je c tiv e s A, B, a n d D). Lesson p lan 1. In tro d u c tio n : D iscuss c u rre n t p ractice in te a c h ­ in g a b o u t th e V ietn am W ar in 9 th -g ra d e social stu d ­ ies classes. B rain sto rm a s p e c ts o f w a r to b e c o v e re d in th e unit. 2. O bjectives: D e ta il th e o b je c tiv e s o f th is class s e s s io n . R e la te th e m to a c tu a l c la s s ro o m te a c h in g n e e d s . 3. R e c a ll o f p r e v io u s kn o w le d g e : D isc u ss th e u s e o f e n c y c lo p e d ia s to g e t a n o v e r v ie w o f a to p ic . R eview th e u s e o f te x tb o o k s a n d c u rric u lu m g u id e s fo r s e le c tin g in fo rm a tio n to b e ta u g h t in th e c la s s­ ro o m . R e v ie w u s e o f OPAC to id e n tify b o o k s o n th e to p ic . 4. P resent m a te r ia l/g u id e d p r a c tic e w ith fe e d b a c k : (C an b e d o n e w ith stu d e n ts w o rk in g in dividually o r in g ro u p s o n a to p ic .) a. U sing b la n k tra n sp a re n c ie s , h a v e e a c h stu d e n t w rite d o w n h is /h e r to p ic o r q u e s tio n . Selectively v ie w th e s e a n d p ro v id e feed b ack . b. D iscuss translating this to p ic in to a se arc h strat­ e g y u sin g T ra n s p a re n c y 6a a n d a n e x am p le. c. H a v e s tu d e n ts w rite d o w n a p o ss ib le s e a rc h strategy o n th eir transparencies. V iew selectively an d p ro v id e feed b ack . d. Discuss th e selection o f appropriate indexes/cata- logs for locating information. Com pare an d contrast coverage o f these sources using Transparency 6b. Use exam ple to sh o w selection o f indexes/catalogs. e. H a v e stu d e n ts n o te w h ic h s o u rc e s th e y m ight u se in se arc h . f. E x p la in c o v e ra g e o f ERIC system . E x p la in dif­ fe re n t fo rm ats (RIE, CIJE, o n lin e , CD-ROM). C om ­ p a re a n d contrast u se o f each. D iscuss h o w this m ight b e u s e d to locate m aterials for lesso n planning. H ave stu d e n ts d e v e lo p a se arc h strategy a n d locate a p p ro ­ p ria te d escrip to rs. W rite o n T ra n s p a re n c y 6c a n d s h a re selectively w ith feed b ack . g. U sing o n e e x a m p le , d e m o n s tra te th e u s e o f ERIC o n CD-ROM for lo catin g te a c h in g m aterials a n d articles o n te a c h in g m e th o d s. E xplain B o o lea n logic (T ra n sp a re n c y 6 d o r a n o v e rh e a d w ith a n LCD a ttach m en t). H av e stu d e n ts d e v e lo p ERIC s e a rc h for th e ir topics. W rite o n tra n s p a re n c y a n d sh a re se lec­ tively w ith fe e d b a c k . h. E xplain u s e o f M o n th ly C a ta lo g x n â its vario u s form ats. C o m p a re ty p e o f in fo rm a tio n f o u n d in this in d e x to ERIC a n d th e library o r m ed ia c e n te r’s cata­ log. E x p la in p ro c e s s o f lo c a tin g th e in fo rm atio n f o u n d in th is ac c e ss tool. i. D iscuss lo catin g cu rricu lu m m aterials in th e library a n d / o r m e d ia ce n te r. H a v e stu d e n ts u s e a p ­ p ro p ria te in d e x e s /c a ta lo g s for lo catin g c u rricu lu m m aterials o n c h o s e n topic. j. U s in g s e v e ra l e x a m p le s fro m c ita tio n s s tu ­ d e n ts h a v e re trie v e d , a n a ly z e th e c ita tio n fo r c re d ­ ibility a n d re liab ility a c c o rd in g to a u th o r /p ro d u c e r c r e d e n tia ls , th e w o r k ’s p u r p o s e , a n d th e in stitu - tio n /c o m p a n y p r o d u c in g it. H a v e s tu d e n ts a n a ­ ly z e a n o th e r c ita tio n o n th e ir o w n . S h a re s e le c ­ tiv e ly w ith fe e d b a c k . k. D iscuss lo c a tio n o f th e s e m aterials in th e li- b r a ry /m e d ia c e n te r o r o th e r c o lle c tio n . D isc u ss in terlib rary lo a n fo r m aterials n o t in collectio n . 5. A ssessing p e r fo r m a n c e : H av e e a c h stu d e n t d e ­ v e lo p a lesson p lan o n a n aspect o f the Vietnam W ar using th e resources covered in class. Evaluate the re­ sources u se d according to th e follow ing criteria: cover­ age, timeliness, variety, u se o f recom m ended sources, credibility, a n d reliability. (This assignm ent will b e d one outside class a n d can b e evaluated b y the course instruc­ tor a n d /o r th e education librarian.) 6. E n h a n c e transfer: D iscuss h o w th e s e sa m e or sim ilar acce ss to o ls a n d in fo rm atio n re so u rc e s m ight b e u s e d in fu tu re le s so n p la n n in g . 5 8 8 / C&RL News Example 2 : Graduate research methods course Scenario Professor Chapin has requested that the education li­ brarian prepare graduate students to identify refereed journal articles which use specific research designs. The students will critique the design used in the article. She also asked that they use the electronic access tools now available in the library as part of the session. The instruc­ tional delivery format is hands-on application of dem on­ strated search strategies, with a time frame of 90 minutes. Lesson goal T he le a rn e r will effectively u se electronic a n d print resources to select refereed research articles that dem ­ o n strate a given resea rch design. M aterials 1. O v erh ead p ro jecto r (w ith LCD, if available) a n d p ro jecto r p e n s 2. Electronic ERIC stations (o n lin e o r CD-ROM) for d em o n stratio n o f search strategies a n d ha n d s-o n ex ­ p e rie n c e for th e learners, w ith a Thesaurus o f ERIC Descriptors at e a c h station 3. Transparencies (to b e locally produced): a) Informa­ tion flow in education: From ideas to prepublication to refereed journal article to indexing/abstracting sources; b ) Example of journal description in Cabell’s Directory o f Publishing Opportunities in Education, c) Flow chart o f ERIC access: progress from descriptor to access; d) Basic Boolean operators; e) ERIC abstract with access points highlighted; f) Blank transparency for responses to b e recorded; g)W orksheet for ERIC database search 4. W orksheets w ith instructions for ERIC an d blanks for strategy form ulation 5. Resource listings for refereed journals: Ulrich’s In ­ ternational Periodicals Directory, Vol. 3, a n d Cabell’s Directory o f Publishing Opportunities in Education. Lesson objectives 1. The learner will give exam ples o f the publication cycle o f educational research (supports Goal IB). 2. T h e le a rn e r w ill u s e c o n tro lle d v o c a b u la ry sources to obtain the descriptors ne ed ed for the search (su p p o rts G oal II C a n d G oal II D). 3. The learner will formulate a search strategy w hich in clu d es B o o lea n o p e ra to rs a n d lim iters to locate relev an t citations o n ERIC in electronic form (s u p ­ p o rts G oal II B). 4. T he learner will determ ine if a journal is refereed (su p p o rts G oal I B). 5. The learner will examine th e citations located and select for retrieval those sources that are relevant and refereed (supports Goal IB , Goal IV D, and Goal V). 6. T he learn er will locate th e jo u rn als in th e library a n d ex p lain h o w to locate item s n o t in c lu d e d in th e collection (su p p o rts G oal IV). Lesson plan 1. Introduction: P resentation o f an overview o f the lesson, em p h asizin g th e objectives as th e y relate to th e le a rn e r’s assignm ent. 2. Recall o f p re vio u s know ledge: D iscuss th e ch ar­ acteristics o f educatio n al resea rch literature (using tra n sp a re n c y 3a) a n d elicit exam p les from learners th a t d e m o n strate these characteristics. Review the p u b licatio n cycle (section o f tran sp aren cy 3a) lead ­ in g in to p re se n ta tio n o n th e g a te k e e p e r function o f th e re fe re e d journal. 3. P resentation o f material: a) P re sen t inform ation o n th e refereed journal: characteristics, function, and w ays o f assessing if a journal is refereed. Use Cabell’s D irectory o f Publishing: b ) Ask questions about the kinds of research designs being searched. What terms would b e used to describe the designs? Make a list of learner responses (transparency 30; c) Review the access points of the ERIC system, using learners’ terms for re­ search designs as entry points to the Thesaurus o f ERIC Descriptors (transparency 3c); d ) Demonstrate the use o f access points particularly relevant to the task: descrip­ tor, use o f a source limiter (journals), and pubEcation type code for research studies w ith the electronic ERIC. Explain Boolean logic. Use transparencies (3c, 3d, 3e) an d /o r an overhead with an LCD attachment to display the search; e) Show an ex am p le o f a retrieved cita­ tion, th e n a n abstract. Discuss th e usefulness o f th e a b s t r a c t f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f t h e i r ta s k ; f) Review th e physical arrangem ent of a journal, an d w ay s to verify if th e library carries th e journal. 4. G uidedpractice/feedback a) Fill o u t a w orksheet (3g), u sin g a p rojector p en , a n d g u id e th e learners th ro u g h th e se arc h se q u en ce; b ) H ave th e learners translate their topics to th e c o n tro lle d vocabulary a n d o th e r access points, using th e ERIC Thesaurus o f Descriptors, o n their w o rk sh eets. Learners th e n a p ­ ply th e strategies b y c o n d u ctin g an ERIC se arc h ei­ th e r individually o r in team s. Learners sh o u ld print o u t th e abstracts; c) Exam ine th e screens to se e h o w learn ers are utilizing th e strategies a n d c o a c h indi­ viduals n e e d in g assistance. Each learn er (o r g ro u p o f learn ers) sh o u ld b e ab le to g o th ro u g h th e p ro ­ cess o f constructing a se arc h strategy, finding cita­ tions, a n d exam ining th em for relevancy; d ) Learn­ ers d eterm in e if th e journal is refereed , u sin g th e p re s e n te d resources, a n d th e n physically locate th e item s to b e u s e d in th e assignm ent. 5. Assess perfo rm a n ce: a) Collect th e w o rk sh eets to assess the effectiveness o f strategy form ulation; b) A sk Dr. C hapin to sh a re h e r evaluations o f th e re­ sulting p a p e rs for inclusion o f re fe re e d citations. 6. E n h a n c e transfer: D iscuss th e u se o f th e sam e o r sim ilar strategies w ith o th e r relev an t datab ases in th e library, su c h as P sy c U T o r E d u c a tio n In d e x . ■ Some things are more timely than others… DISCOVER THE WORLD OF LIBRARY A N D IN FO R M A TIO N SCIENCE with Library Times International a timely quarterly journal offering a unique single source for: ■ World News ■ Information Science Update ■ Provocative Interviews ■ Probing Editorials ■ Special Reports on Conferences ■ New Publications ■ Calendar of National and International Conferences ■ Book Reviews ■ Articles ■ And Much More … There is no better m edium than Library Times International to reach the library and inform ation science world. It is the only journal w hich brings librarians, library educators, inform ation scientists and others together from all continents. Recom m ended by Library Journal. 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