dazed and confused? contextualizing and supporting student research in composition robert detmering...
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Dazed and Confused?Contextualizing and Supporting Student Research in Composition
Robert DetmeringCoordinator of Information Literacy ServicesEkstrom Library, University of Louisville
Composition Pedagogy Workshop, January 9, 2014
Reflection• In an ideal world, how do your students conduct
research? What kinds of research, writing, and thinking processes do they engage in? What kinds of sources do they use? How do they integrate sources into their writing/thinking?
• What assumptions and experiences have led you to view research in this way?
Reflection• In what ways, if any, have your students not met your
goals and expectations in their research and research-based writing? In what ways might their research differ from the ideal scenario?
• What assumptions and experiences do you imagine might lead students to conduct research in a different manner than you might expect or hope?
• Faculty and librarian interviews (DePaul and NEIU).
• “Repeatedly, librarians and professors wished that students could invest more time in contemplation and discovery, painting an idealized portrait of students leisurely wandering the stacks or pensively sitting down to await inspiration” (p. 24).
Pragmatism and Idealism in the Academic Library (Mary Thill, 2012)
• “. . .students find research but only read the first few pages in order to cherry pick quotes. I'd prefer if students could see research as a process of discovery.”
• “They seem to struggle with the patience it requires to search out good sources.”
• “Students are very resistant to starting early, even when it's built into the assignment sequence or other course work.”
• “They think the quickest and easiest to read source is the best source.”
Survey of UofL Composition Instructors(Summer 2012)
• “Distinguishing between credible sources is always a bit of a sticking point for some students. Most find anything on the internet to be reliable.”
• “Students also struggle with conceptualizing how to look for research that is related or applicable to their topic if they can't find sources that are an EXACT match for their topic.”
• “In the past, my students have struggled the most with reading academic research (understanding this unfamiliar discourse) and using it for their own purposes.”
Survey of UofL Composition Instructors(Summer 2012)
Recent Research Tells a Similar Story
ERIAL: erialproject.org
Project Information Literacy: projectinfolit.org
The Citation Project: site.citationproject.net
The New Digital Scholar (Print, 2013)
Key Challenges for Students• Conceptualizing research as an inquiry-driven process of
discovery and coping with the attendant uncertainty and anxiety.
• Finding and evaluating information in an overwhelming and constantly evolving digital environment [cognitive load].
• Navigating complex and confusing library databases and interfaces.
• Differentiating among source types and the review processes associated with them (when everything becomes a “website”).
• Interpreting and integrating sources (especially scholarly sources) into their own writing/thinking.
Helping Students Meet the Challenges
• Ensure that research requirements match the purpose of the assignment.
• Clarify the “situational context” (why and how) and “information-gathering context” (where and how) [PIL Handout
Study, 2010].
• Build opportunities for patient searching, thinking, and reflection into the assignment time table (in and out of class).
• Schedule library instruction at the point of need (in context).
• Challenge students but examine your assumptions and set realistic expectations.
Librarians as Research Intermediaries: We’re Here to Help!
Instruction librarians at UofL strive to create engaging learning experiences that encourage critical thinking about information in all contexts and promote research as an evolving process of inquiry.
Librarians as Research Intermediaries: We’re Here to Help!
• Research and Information Literacy Instruction: louisville.edu/library/infoliteracy• English 101-102 standard and custom in-class sessions.• Custom sessions for other classes.• Research Labs
• Custom Library Research Guides
louisville.libguides.com
• Research Appointments
• Assignment Design Consultation
