The skills that are called on for dissertation and dissertation work are somewhat different from those that are used for regular course requirements. Whereas academic courses have clear beginnings and endings, the dissertation project is a somewhat open-ended task and the dissertation process is relatively unstructured. Success in completing the…

Focuses on the need to develop research skills in children so that they may become independent and critical users of research materials. Suggestions are given on how librarians can work with teachers to develop children's research skills. (Author/LLS)

Argues that the problem with teaching today is too little research. Characterizes research-oriented teachers as spokesmen in the Classical Greek legal sense: they have firsthand knowledge, are eyewitnesses and discoverers or generators of knowledge. They are not dependent on others and speak with the force of authority. (JMF)

This collection of four papers on the applicability of bibliographic theory to bibliographic instruction is introduced by Ross Atkinson, who sees a shift away from political and pedagogical concerns in bibliographic instruction. In "Pragmatic Bibliography," Patrick Wilson contrasts wholesale or comprehensive bibliography (the compilation…

A fieldwork procedure that enables students to design and conduct meaningful evaluation research in one semester is described. The procedure has been used in a 13-week program evaluation course in a master's program in community psychology and industrial/organizational psychology. About 2 months before the course begins, administrative units…

The sharply drawn distinction between research and evaluation, and the equally sharp distinction between the carefully controlled laboratory-type experiment and the study occurring in the field, are seen as arbitrary and not very helpful. In illustrating this thesis, the author develops a design generally regarded as a "research" design…

Conducting library research is a complex procedure that relies not only upon the knowledge of basic reference sources, but also upon an appreciation of the process of literature searching. Writing teachers can provide their students with models of the research process to guide them in their quests for information. Search strategy outlines map the…

This brief paper presents a sequential walk through a simple research setting--a two group experiment--to indicate common but avoidable design difficulties that may jeopardize the usefulness of the data obtained. The six flaws examined are the failure to select subjects from the population to which generalizations are to be made; failure to use…

This paper focuses on the research competencies of students in Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) programs. First, we describe how research is being taught to students enrolled in several leading IDT programs. Next, we present findings from a survey administered to determine what knowledge and skills are being taught to IDT graduate…

University libraries are becoming increasingly aware of the need to assess the quality of students' information literacy and library research skills and to use this assessment data to effectively improve the quality of university library services to graduate programs. However, libraries have had difficulties finding ways to accomplish this both…

There are tools available to organize the educational process so that specifically identified goals, including a commitment to scholarship, can be attained systematically. Such a systematic approach is necessary to ensure that graduates will undertake scholarly activity. (MSE)

The University of Kansas' undergraduate summer research program has resulted in high quality work, enthusiastic response, and interest in advanced studies among its graduates. (MSE)

In college-level forensic competitions, the three major weekly magazines, "U.S. News and World Report,""Time," and "Newsweek," are taking a beating. Students are purposely looking for specialized sources; they firmly believe that judges look down on the use of these weekly publications. Indeed, judges do seem to be…

This paper summarizes practical strategies that qualitative researchers can employ to improve their interviewing skills. The first section, "The Art of Questioning: Wording Makes a Difference," presents several guidelines: (1) questions should be short and precise; (2) ask only one question at a time; (3) avoid questions in which the…

For many practitioners, reading about or doing research is not seen as a viable means by which to learn about human behavior. In reaction to the non-utility view of research, a number of writers have questioned the validity of the scientist-practitioner model, or reinterpreted the model, or asked psychologists to reconsider the philosophy of…