Whether the goal is to identify and describe trends and variation in populations, create new measures of key phenomena, or describe samples in studies aimed at identifying causal effects, description plays a critical role in the scientific process in general and education research in particular. Descriptive analysis identifies patterns in data to…

Describes Datamondo, an instructional package that introduces the use of a newspaper database in humanities teaching at the secondary level in Italy. The effectiveness of the package in developing basic linguistic skills and as a research tool is evaluated. (8 references) (Author/CLB)

In order to meet the needs of a diverse user population from three different institutions of higher learning, this information packet presents a menu of instructional options from which patrons can choose. (Located on a large urban campus, the Auraria Library serves students, faculty, and staff from the Community College of Denver, the…

Presents two sample lessons designed to promote research skills at the secondary level. A world studies and an American history lesson are outlined. Students find answers to questions by consulting encyclopedias, histories, and dictionaries. Discussion of the learning experience follows. (KC)

The effectiveness of manual and computer-assisted legal research (CALR) methods are examined and compared, and the limitations of each are noted. The current state of law students' research skills is then discussed, and the Brooklyn Law School (New York) response to the problem, integrating the methods, is described. (MSE)

Describes a program at an independent college preparatory school which introduces primary grade students to research techniques and tools through a carefully planned sequence of encounters with library research and reference aids. (CLB)

Describes organization and evaluation of 13 workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Madison providing professional development for clinical research support staff. Topics included ethics, protocol development, statistics, audits, and tips and tools for successful research. Evaluation indicated the workshops met educational goals but did not…

A freshman humanities course in reading and research was used by three English instructors to investigate the appropriateness of having students use an online database as a research tool. The results show that the acquisition of basic online database search skills is not qualitatively different from that of more traditional research skills.…

Describes a research seminar required of graduate students at Queens College which focuses on educational research, statistical analysis, and library search skills. Topics covered include the use of bibliographies and review of research, periodical indexes and abstracts, and online databases. (CLB)

The first article discusses CD-ROM pricing and provides a list of databases and magazines available on CD-ROM. The second provides guidelines for purchasing a CD-ROM workstation. The third describes the use of ERIC on CD-ROM as a research tool for high school students. The fourth describes the benefits of using online searching to teach research…

Designed as an instructional guide to help students develop library skills for sociological research, this workbook which accompanies an introductory college level sociology course is divided into ten chapters. Chapter one covers the author-title catalog; the Library of Congress classification system; card catalog filing rules; the subject…

Describes a course in information research in which students use a package of representative information sources to identify seminal works in a given field of inquiry. The materials contained in the package and specific procedures followed by students are described, and some informal evaluation of the process is provided. (CLB)

Advice on gathering information about foundations for college fund raising is offered. Information sources should be evaluated based on cost, quality, reliability, completeness, and ease of use. Noncommercial and commercial sources can both be useful. (MSE)

Elementary students are introduced to a wide variety of reference materials. Separate sections contain activities for using an atlas, "The Book of Lists," dictionaries, encyclopedias, "Familiar Quotations," games, "The Guiness Book of World Records," magazines, multi-references, newspapers, the "T.V. Guide,"…

This directory lists persons responsible for and materials produced for library instruction at 41 colleges, universities, and community colleges in Pennsylvania. Entries are arranged alphabetically by institution. Each entry provides the library name and address; the name of the contact person for library instruction and his/her telephone number;…