One of the most important qualities of learners is the ability to conduct research. Students who grasp this subject acquire critical thinking abilities, which will eventually help them to function a valuable human being in the future. Proficiency in doing research is a prerequisite for academic achievement. The purpose of this study is to assess…

Questions about the nature and extent of students' active involvement and influence within schools and the wider community prompted this author to investigate ways in which student voice, as one important manifestation of active participation, was translated into action through a "students as researchers" activity. A three-phase…

This study examines peer collaboration among four pairs of seventh graders who read online to determine what caused the downfall of the Mayan civilization. More and less productive collaborative interactions are presented through snippets of dialogue in which pairs negotiated complex texts. Few examples of how teachers can skillfully facilitate…

Describes how students learn research skills by making "skinny books"--collections of photocopied articles made into a book with all the parts of a book added--on a topic a student wants to learn more about. Describes how skinny books have been used in a unit on the Holocaust. (SR)

Describes "FLIP IT," a process developed to help a seventh-grade class succeed at information problem solving by analyzing and defining the research process. Explains the mnemonic, FLIP IT, as focusing on the topic, locating appropriate resources, investigating and implementing the information, and producing results while using intelligent…

Reports findings of a three-part research project that examined the information seeking behavior and success of 22 seventh-grade science students in using the Web. Discusses problems encountered, including inadequate knowledge of how to use the search engine and poor level of research skills; and considers implications for Web training and system…

Describes a skills development program based on research and writing subskills. Includes analyzing questions, devising a form to record information, researching and reporting findings, and supporting a point of view in persuasive essay. Explains that the program through three years of middle school, adding and refining skills each year. Suggests…

Describes a social studies project cooperatively planned and taught by the library media specialist and a classroom teacher at the Cartersville Middle School in Cartersville, Georgia. The project teaches seventh graders to use traditional research skills as well as technological computer-based research skills to identify, locate, select,…

Describes a variety of writing activities and community service projects designed to develop middle school students' civic identity and pride in being citizens of the state of Kentucky. Includes teaching ideas and a project evaluation. (PRA)