Research Process

Research Process in
Middle School

Research can be a frustrating time for students and teachers.

In this website, you will find the most common steps in the research process.
Some of the steps include ideas for collaboration with the media specialist which will be modified to meet your specific needs.
Following the steps and collaboration ideas, there is a list of specific research methods that you might want to follow with their prescribed design along with other places to find more information about each method.
Next, some teaching suggestions are offered.
Sources for this website are listed at the end.

Basic Steps | Methods | Collaboration Ideas
Suggestions | References

Basic Steps

Steps	Collaboration
#1. Choose a topic. This can be one of the most difficult and important steps in the research process. Students struggle with finding the "right" research topic. Students should choose a topic that meets their interests, their prior knowledge, and the availability of resources.	Idea: Journal Idea: Pre-Search Idea: Topic Web Suggestions
#2. Develop a strategy. Students create a focus with their topic. Students create a KWL chart, letting them identify what they Know and what they Want to know. Students develop three or four questions to focus their research. Students brainstorm the different sources they will use.	Idea: Questions Idea: Various Resources
#3. Collect or conduct research. Students locate resources on their topic and search for information. Students gather information from various sources and take notes on the important information that answers their qustions. Students document their resouces, using APA or MLA style.	Idea: Locating Information Idea: Double-Entry Notes Idea: Documentation
#4. Analyze and organize information. Students sort through information and decide what to keep and what to discard. Students decide on an organization scheme for their paper. Students develop an opinion and make meaning of their information. Students review each other's rough draft and give feedback using the terminology in the rubric.	Idea: Evaluating Information
#5. Present research. Students present what they have learned. They can do this in a paper, a PowerPoint, an oral presentation, a poster, a 3-D model, etc.
#6. Evaluate product and process. Students evaluate their product and how well they understand the process after they have completed their presentation. Teachers evaluate student products and assess how well the process was conducted from student and self-evaluation.	Idea: Rubric

Students	Describe prior knowledge of the research process and their topic (Bowen, 2001). Write about their thoughts as they complete the research process. Summarize progress and detail future plans for the next day (Wolf, 2003). Describe the importance of each step in the process. Read and respond to peer journals.
Teacher	Responds to students' journals at least once a week. Answers student questions in journal. Asks questions to students to clarify their understanding of the process.
Media Specialist	Models for students how to use their journal. Reads and responds to students who are struggling with their research.

Pre-Search

Students	Use library for background information. Read books to gain a deeper understanding of their topic. Write down sources that are helpful and take brief notes on those sources.
Teacher	Explains the reasons for searching for information before formal research. Monitors students to see who is struggling or is off task. Assists students who struggle with finding specific books on their topic.
Media Specialist	Explains the basic categories of the Dewey Decimal system. Pulls certain books that relate to students' topics (Harada, 2002). Assists students who struggle with finding specific books on their topic.

Topic Web

Students	Draw a web listing their interests and possible topics they could pursue. From each interest, create other ideas that focus on specific details inside the topic.
Teacher	Models a topic web. Enforces the idea that student chooses the topic based on prior knowledge and interest.
Media Specialist/ Technology Specialist	Models a topic web using Inspiration. Instructs students on the use of Inspiration (software) to create a topic web.

Questions

Students	Discriminate between lower level and higher level questions from a sample set. Use words like why, how, and compare to transform lower level questions to higher level questions. Develop keywords that will help them with their search process in finding more information on their topic. Formulate higher level questions for their topic (Bowen, 2001; Dinnin, 2003).
Teacher	Explains the difference between lower level and higher level questions. Models how to develop higher level questions.
Media Specialist	Uses teacher lesson to review higher level questions Explains keywords and their importance in finding the answers to questions Leads student practice in testing questions to see if they have more than one answer with different resources.

Various Resources

Students	Brainstorm list of resources to use in research. Share brainstorm with others.
Teacher	Explains the differences in various resources (dictionary, encyclopedia, nonfiction, Internet, periodicals) and their use.
Media Specialist	Assists students in using various resources. Provides examples of various resources for practice or instruction.

Locating Information

Students	Use strategies to locate information relevant to their topic.
Teacher	Provides students with time to practice locating information with various resources. Assists students struggling with locating information.
Media Specialist/ Technology Specialist	Asks students questions to discern prior knowledge of the Internet and nonfiction books. Reviews keyword lesson. Internet lesson: BOOLEAN terms, search engines, directories Nonfiction Books lesson: Dewey Decimals, parts of the book (index, glossary, sidebar, table of contents, captions) Assists students struggling with locating information.

Double-Entry Notes

Students	Fold paper in half. Practice double entry drafts by taking notes on one side and making connections on the other. Use the strategy to take notes on their topic, keeping the notes brief and simple with only a few words (Rogers, 2003).
Teacher	Provides time at the end of the lesson to return to class or stay in the library to make sense of their notes and why they wrote them.
Media Specialist	Models double entry notes for students. (See example below.)
Example
Their Words	Your Words
dad died - bin Laden, 13 inherited $5 billion Reference: Metzer, M. (2002). The day the sky fell. New York: Random House.	This is how he became rich.

Documentation

Students	Understand what plagiarism is and why it is important to use your own words or to give credit to others. Document their sources using MLA or APA style. Write their notes on the same page they used for documentation. Use a separate sheet of paper for each source.
Teacher	Shows examples of plagarism and acceptable use of others' work. Uses websites to discuss plagiarism. (See Teaching Copyright.) Uses websites to help students with their documentation.
Media Specialist	Explains different parts of the title and copyright page, Provides practice using MLA or APA style with a few titles. Creates a table for students to use to remind them of the different components they will need in their documentation.

Evaluating Information

"Not all information is created equal"
(Vesey, 2005).

Students	Evaluate information using the strategies and questions Discard information that will not be helpful in research Decide when more information needs to be found in a particular area
Teacher	Assists students with evaluating information Provides opportunities for students to use various resources in various places (classroom, media center, computer lab, etc.)
Media Specialist/ Technology Specialist	Gives students some questions to consider when evaluating information whether on the Internet or in print: Authority - WHO supports the information? Is this a professional organization? Can you contact the author? How many references are available? Currency - WHEN was this information published or updated? Will an older work affect my accuracy? Accuracy - HOW does the information match with what I already know from personal experience and from several other sources? Make sure you have more than one type of resource to compare. Purpose - WHY was this information written? Is there a personal agenda or bias evident in the information? Relevance - WHAT is the focus of my topic? Does this information match with my particular focus? (Wills, 2004; Kuiper, Volman, Terwel, 2005; Vesey, 2005; Bondi, 2001 ) Provides practice for using strategies with information from the media center.

Rubric

Students	Discuss what components are necessary for a superior research paper Decide which components are most important
Teacher	Uses student suggestions to compile a list of criteria
Media specialist	Provides suggestions on other parts of the research process Helps design rubric with specific weights based on importance

Methods

Methods	*Steps*	Websites
The Big 6	1. Task Definition 2. Information Seeking Strategies 3. Location and Access 4. Use of Information 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation	Big 6: An Information Problem Solving Process
I-Search	1. Presearch 2. Search strategies 3. Gather, analyze, synthesize 4. Writing	The I-Search Unit
FLIP IT!	1. Focus (topic) 2. Links (make connections) 3. Input (information) 4. Payoff (presentation)	Hudson Valley Library Association (Search for FLIP IT!)
Research Process Model	1. Choose a broad topic 2. Get an overview 3. Narrow the topic 4. Develop thesis statement 5. Formulate questions 6. Plan for research 7. Find, analyze, evaluate 8. Evaluate evidence 9. Establish conclusions 10.Create and present final product	Stripling and Pitts Research Process Model
Information Search Process	1. Initiation 2. Selection 3. Exploration 4. Formulation 5. Collection 6. Presentation	School of Communication, Information, and Library Services Professor Kulthau (Use frame to click on Information Search Process)

Suggestions

Have a research strategy in place from the beginning.

Keep the end in mind.
What do you want them to know? What do you want them to be able to do?

Decide how much time you will devote to the process and each step.
Force students to choose a topic early but give them a chance to change for a time.

Send a letter home to parents, informing them of the research that will be happening in class and what their child's topic is (Rogers, 2003).

Try to incorporate other curriculum standards into the research unit (Dinnin, 2003).

Show several different graphic organizers (sequence, cause and effect, T-chart, Venn diagrams, compare and contrast, etc.) to use when organizing their paper. Students pick the one that best suits their needs for their paper (Dinnin, 2003).
Use Inspiration to have students design their own graphic organizer. They can also create an outline, using Inspiration after they have made their web.

References

Achterman, D. (2005). Information literacy: Surviving Wikipedia: improving student search habits through information literacy and teacher collaboration. Knowledge Quest, 33(5), 38-40.

Bowen, C. (2001). The I-search with grade 5: They learn. Teacher Librarian, 29(2), 14-17.

Dinnin, C. (2003). Get organized! get thinking! get going!. Teacher Librarian, 31(2), 12-16.

Education Development Center, (2000). Make it happen. Retrieved Dec. 05, 2005, from MIH-The I-Search Unit Web site: http://www2.edc.org/FSC/MIH/i-search.html.

Eisenberg, M., & Berkowitz, B. (2005). The Big6: information literacy for the information age. Retrieved Dec. 02, 2005, from Big6: An Information Problem-Solving Approach Web site: http://www.big6.com/.

Harada, V. H. (2002). Personalizing the information search process: a case study of journal writing with elementary-age students. School Library Media Research, 5.

Hudson Valley Library Association Web Committee, (2004). Flip/it!. Retrieved Dec. 05, 2005, from Welcome to HVLA Web site: http://www.hvla.org/.

Kuiper, E., Volman, M., & Terwel J. (2005). The web as an information resource in k-12 education: strategies for supporting students in searching and processing information. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 285-328.

Kuhlthau, C. (n.d.). A search for meaning rather than answers. Retrieved Dec. 05, 2005, from Carol C. Kuhlthau Web site: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/%7Ekuhlthau/Search%20Process.htm.

Lamb, A. (2005). Information inquiry for teachers. Retrieved Dec. 05, 2005, from Models: Stripling and Pitts Research Process Model Web site: http://eduscapes.com/info/pitts.html.

Rogers, L. K. (2003). A "report in a can". The Reading Teacher, 56(8), 734-735.

Vesey, K. (2005). Eliminate "wobbly" research with the information resource tripod. Teacher Librarian, 32(3), 35-37.

Wills, D. (2004). Teaching the unteachable: helping students make sense of the web. College Teaching, 52(1), 2-5.

Windschitl, M. (2000). Using the www for teaching and learning in k-12 classrooms: what are the interesting research questions?. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3(1).

Wolf, S. (2003). The big six information skills as a metacognitive scaffold: a case study. School Library Media Research, 6(1).

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Posted December 5, 2005
Graphics from Microsoft Digital Library

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