Hunter College, City University of New York, Department of Curriculum & Teaching
Locating Material for a Topic
To be good researchers, students must familiarize themselves with and become experts in their topics. The number of journals which are published today precludes anybody being able to afford to subscribe to all of them. Hence, you need to use the library and other sources in order to access pertinent information on your topic.
The amount of material which was being published changed radically after the federal government's aid to education programs began in the 1960s. To qualify for funds, school districts had to evaluate whatever it was they were doing with the funds, and hence many of these evaluations began being published in various journals. Also, as part of the federal funding programs, a national clearing house (Education Resources Information Exchange - ERIC) was established to function as a resource to disseminate educational evaluation and research materials.
Data which are directly involved in the topic that concerns you. They include original documents, test scores, records, interviews with people directly involved in the topic, artifacts, relics, etc.
Data which are descriptions or interpretations made by people not directly involved in the topic that concerns you. They include reference books, newspaper articles, analyses and summaries of work done by others.
Major Sources of Information on Education
Lists articles published in virtually all educational journals and provides one paragraph summaries of each article. Starts in 1969.
Lists materials such as documents, speeches, program reports, etc. which are not published in journals. Starts in 1969.
Presents a regularly updated listing of most statistics related to education in the United States.
Contains abstracts of doctoral dissertations in education completed at major American and European universities.
Computer/On-Line Resources
ERIC is available on-line as well as in the Hunter College Library and most other major college libraries. Keep in mind that for CIJE, you will only receive a citation and summary of an article. You likely will have to go to a library to retrieve the actual article.
Search engines available on the World Wide Web also can provide valuable information on topics. For instance, you can access YAHOO Education Categories. However, complete copies of articles are rare and difficult to come by without paying fees.
Go to Yahoo Search Engine- Education
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE TOPICS COVERED IN THIS SESSION, PLEASE REFER TO CHAPTER 3 OF A.G. PICCIANO "EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH PRIMER".