Post 16: What I know that they don't

So what do I know that my extended essay students don't?

I know that the majority of them only ever use Google for their research and that few if any of them go as far as doing an advanced search or using Google Scholar.  They also rarely stray to the second page of results.

I know that many of them give up after only a short time of researching a topic.  When I tell them that I have spent up to 2 hours looking for one source, I know they are thinking that they would never be able to do that.

I know that most of them only use one or two search terms; that girls use more search terms than boys.

I know that most of them don't know how to generate a variety of search terms (keywords) from their topic or research question and therefore, miss many useful results

I know that many of them have difficulty recognising whether or not a source found on the Internet is a reliable one.

I know that many of them are unable to recognise what kind of source they are looking at on the internet.  (For example, they find a journal article and cite it as a website.)

I know that many of them don't understand that incorrectly citing a source can lead to an accusation of plagiarism.


There is more and I will add to this list over the next few days!

My students have had library classes integrated with their subject classes to assist them with research and research techniques since grade 6.  However, the majority (and I believe that the same is true of their teachers) believe that they know better and that all they need is google.  The school provides them with a wide range of databases to use for their research but here the saying "you can lead a horse to water" fits perfectly.  It is only when my students get to grade 11 and the stakes are suddenly so much higher, that some of them start to pay attention.