Library Services
Document
Delivery
About the Library
General
Information
Library Hours
Phone Numbers
Library Staff
Feedback
AU Library
Home Page
AU Home Page
Printable, more detailed guide to research in education (PDF).
Research in Education:
A Guide to the Process
by Nancy Mactague
Table of Contents
Section 2: Find Information on Your Topic
- Learning Styles
- Contemporary Issues in Education
- Multi-Disciplinary
- Obtaining In-Print Materials
- How do I evaluate Web Resources?
Purpose
The purpose of this guide is to present resources for BA Education, MAT, MARI, MAEL, and EdD students to consult in preparing their research. These resources will provide information suitable for the literature review, curriculum or program planning, and continuing professional development.Find Information on Your Topic. Where do I search? How do I search?
What sources are best for my topic? Choose the proper tool for the task:- For a general sense of a topic, use dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks or reference books. These are good for narrowing down a topic.
- For specific aspects of a topic, use books and scholarly journals.
- For information on what has been compiled over an extended period of time, use books, bibliographies, scholarly journals, newspapers or government documents.
- For the most up to date information, use articles from scholarly journals. Books are good for concepts, history and theory. However, due to the length of time it takes to get a book published, books will not contain the most recent information.
Selected In-Print Library Resources
The Assessment Debate (R371.26 Jan) Discusses what “authentic assessment” is, the standards movement and assessment, and performance assessment.
Content Area Standards for Educators (R 370.71 Con) From the State of Illinois. Includes standards for certification in specific teaching fields, secondary and special certificates, special education, school service personnel and administrative certification, language arts and technology standards.
Educational Research, Methodology, and Measurement: An International Handbook (R 370.78 Edu 1997) Includes articles on the history and methodology of educational research, methods of measurement and evaluation, research methodology, and statistical analysis—both qualitative and quantitative.
Educator’s Handbook on Effective Testing (R371.26 Fri) As stated in the user’s guide (p. 2), the purpose of the handbook is to help educators understand testing, interpret results, “and defend their selection, construction, and use of tests.” To that end, the handbook offers reviews of tests, a test classification index, a directory of educational test publishers, guidelines for defending tests and testing, and analyses of current issues and problems.
Encyclopedia of American Education (R370.3 UNG) Covers administration, pedagogy, history, reform, church-state conflicts, civil rights. Includes bibliography and references for each topic.
Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education (R370.1175 Bak) Divided into four sections covering individual bilingualism, languages in society, world languages, and bilingual education, this encyclopedia aims to raise awareness of language diversity, thereby prejudice and stereotyping.
The Encyclopedia of Education (R370.3 Enc) Over 1,000 articles provide an overview of the institutions, people, processes and products of education. Articles cover history, theory, research, philosophy and structure of education. Includes bibliography for each section.
Encyclopedia of Educational Research (R370.78 Enc 1991) Topic headings include: Agencies and Institutions Related to Education, Curriculum, Organizational Structure and Governance, Educational Measurement and Assessment.
Encyclopedia of Higher Education (R378.003 Enc)Covers most countries of the world, provides in-depth coverage of cross-national issues such as governance, diversity of institutional types and the situation of teaching staff. Includes bibliography for each section.
Handbook of Educational Psychology (R370.15 Han) Includes entries on theories, research and methodologies from educational psychologists worldwide. The handbook is organized around five domains: cognition and motivation, development and individual differences, school curriculum and psychology, teaching and instruction, and foundations of the discipline.
The Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education (370.78 HAN) Includes the ethnographic and ethical issues in, subjectivity in, and validity of qualitative research in Education.
Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (R 370.117 Han) Includes African American, Native American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Asian Pacific American studies; learning styles; cultural diversity and teaching effectiveness.
Handbook of Research on School Supervision (R371.203 Han) Geared to principals, department heads, term coordinators, superintendents, curriculum directors, or instructional supervisors, the handbook covers supervision as a profession, recognizing forces for change in the field, key theoretical concepts, and the future of the profession.
Handbook of Research on Teaching (R370.72 Han) Includes equity and multicultural topics, research methodology, traditional and nontraditional approaches to research, impact of qualitative and quantitative methods, curriculum, teaching, the learner, cultural and ethnic diversity in teaching, policy, standards, and reform
Issues and Controversies on File (R300 Iss) This loose-leaf subscription is updated every two weeks. Provides a summary of political, economic, social, and scientific issues and controversies. Includes bibliography for each section. Index pages are on yellow paper.
Philosophy of Education: An Encyclopedia (R370.1 PHI) Covers philosophical viewpoints that have had the greatest impact on educational thought, from ancient Greece to the present, and includes ideas from sources outside of philosophy, such as politics, religion and the social sciences. Includes bibliography for each topic.
On-Line Library Sources
The following on-line “searching tools” can be accessed from the library’s home page, at http://www.aurora.edu/library. Don't forget the General Sources/Search Tools and Subject-Specific Web Site.
Currently enrolled Aurora University students, and currently employed faculty and staff may use their AU email name and password for access.
Articles for Education
ERIC: Educational Resources Information Center. Contains more than 700,000 citations with abstracts to materials relating to some aspect of education. The AU library holds microfiche copies of ERIC documents numbered ED 348,466 and higher. The full-text of selected ERIC documents is available through ERIC-sponsored web sites.
Professional Development Collection. The Professional Development Collection provides a highly specialized collection of electronic information especially for professional educators. This collection offers information on everything from children’s health and development to cutting-edge pedagogical theory and practice. The Professional Development Collection includes abstract and index coverage for over 595 well-known professional development titles, and searchable full text for 516 journals covering the most current topics in the field of education.
Books
I-Share. The online catalog to the holdings of Aurora University Library and the other 56 members of our CARLI consortium.
FirstSearch’s WorldCat. Shows books found worldwide!
Other Useful Indexes
Academic Search Premier. Academic Search Elite provides full text for more than 1,715 academic, social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multi-cultural journals. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for 2,794 journals. More than 1,880 journals are peer reviewed.
ECO (Electronic Collections Online). Provides the full-text of 35 journals to which we subscribe in-print, including: Language Learning.
FirstSearch’s Periodical Abstracts. FirstSearch’s Periodical Abstracts supplies the full-text journals such as: Education Week, Journal of Education for Teaching, Chronicle of Higher Education.
FirstSearch’s WilsonSelect. FirstSearch’s WilsonSelect supplies the full-text of all articles indexed and includes The Education Digest, Teacher Education Quarterly, Education, Phi Delta Kappan.
Related Topics
Criminal Justice Periodicals. Comprehensive coverage of the major journals in criminology and related disciplines, extensive coverage of books, and reports from government and non-government agencies.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Contains citations and abstracts (since 1980) to every doctoral dissertation completed in the U.S. since 1861, and full-text to many dissertations in the social sciences and humanities. Thanks to the College of Education for their grant providing the funds for this database through June 2005.
PsycARTICLES. PsycARTICLES is a definitive source of searchable full text articles on current issues in psychology. The PsycARTICLES database covers general psychology and specialized, basic, applied, clinical and theoretical research in psychology. The database contains more than 25,000 searchable full text articles from 38 journals published by the APA and 4 from allied organizations.
PsycINFO. Indexes and abstracts more than 1300 professional, scholarly journals in psychology and related fields, including education, management, nursing, recreation, and social work. Coverage is worldwide and includes many journals written in other languages. Also indexes books, chapters in books, and dissertations.
Social Work Abstracts. Produced by the National Association of Social Workers, Inc., this database contains more than 35,000 records, spanning 1977 to the present, from social work and related journals on topics such as homelessness, AIDS, child and family welfare, aging, substance abuse, legislation, community organization, and more.
Other On-Line Sources
Philosophy of Education
The Philosophy of Education Yearbook, from the Philosophy of Education Society, is subject-searchable and includes the full-text of many articles.
Classic Texts and Manuscripts in Education includes links to the works of Dewey, Kant, Locke, Montessori, Piaget, Skinner, Vygotsky, and more.
According to the web site of the Center for Dewey Studies, the Center has "amassed a wealth of source materials for the study of America's quintessential philosopher-educator, John Dewey."
Learning Styles
The Learning Styles Homepage talks about the Dunn and Dunn Model of Learning Styles and the Dunns' Learning Styles Inventory.
The GSU Master Teacher Program: On Learning Styles discusses the four dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and appropriate teaching styles.
Learning Styles and Strategies summarizes the characteristics of eight learning styles and offers appropriate "study-style" suggestions for students. Also includes links to further information and a free, self-administered learning styles questionnaire.
Explorations in Learning and Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database, maintained by Dr. Greg Kearsley author, of Online Education: Learning and Teaching in Cyberspace, Distance Education: A Systems Perspective, and other works, summarizes fifty of the major theories of learning and instruction and offers many other links.
Contemporary Issues in Education
Two journals relevant to this topic are Educational Leadership and Phi Delta Kappan, which are aimed at practitioners. Each issue deals with one theme. Educational Leadership is abstracted, and Phi Delta Kappan is available full-text in Expanded Academic ASAP.
Educational Leadership is published by ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). ASCD also publishes books on current topics. These can be found in I-Share off of the library's home page. Do a "Guided Keyword" search. In the "search for" box type "ASCD" and in the "search by" box search by "publisher."
ERIC
ERIC/AE Full-Text Internet Library indexes current topics, such as accountability, program evaluation and large-scale assessment.
ERIC Digests offers the full-text of ERIC digests, which are short reports (1,000 - 1,500 words) on current topics of prime interest in education. They are targeted specifically for administrators, policy makers, teachers, and other practitioners.
Multi-Disciplinary. The following sites contain links relevant to teaching a variety of subjects and grade levels:
Subject-Specific Web Sites: Education, compiled by the Education Librarian, contains links to local, regional, and state Offices of Education, statistical and related information.
Three sites for new teachers are Advice for the New Teacher, The Gateway to Educational Materials, and Peak Learning Systems Educators' Resource Center.
Top
Obtaining In-Print Materials
If you wish to borrow books or journal articles not owned by Aurora University Library, you may request those materials via interlibrary loan. Interlibrary Loan enables you to borrow materials from other libraries. Please allow TWO WEEKS for the materials to arrive.Four methods are available for requesting materials:
- I-Share Books' Request Function.
- Integral Inter-Library Loan function is available from all FirstSearch databases.
- Online Document Request Form.
- Paper document request form is available in the library.
How do I evaluate Web Resources?
Is the following statement true or false? "I found it on the Web, so it must be good." FALSEAnybody can write anything and put it on the Web. No editors nor peer reviewers make certain that the information is correct. YOU must decide.
Write the paper in the correct format and give credit where credit is due
APA Style Assistance - Detailed explanations of the APA style are available on the following Web sites:
- Georgia Southern University
- Purdue University
- APA Guidelines for citing electronic resourceslectronic Reference Format
- AU Learning Center "APA Style Guide"
MLA Style Assistance
- Online MLA Style Manual offered by the Modern Language Association
The Badgerlink web site contains information about the two ways to gain access. One way is to use an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that is registered with Badgerlink. If you select an ISP that is not registered with Badgerlink, some (but not all) local public libraries participate in a library card password system allowing access.
For further information about Badgerlink, see their web site, or call (888) 542-5543.
State of Wisconsin residents may also use the State of Wisconsin university library system. For a $10.00 deposit, Wisconsin residents may check books out of Wisconsin university libraries. When all books have been returned, the $10.00 deposit is refunded. Contact the circulation services dept. of your closest State of Wisconsin university for details.
Standard Disclaimer: The maintenance of non-AU Web sites
noted above is beyond our control; therefore, we are not responsible for
their availability nor content.