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Research Methods
A starting point for any student research is an
understanding of information
trends.
We
are told that we live in an information society. We experience the evidence of this every day.
The
last century saw an explosion of knowledge and important advances It is
characteristic of the information society that information is available in many
different ways. We refer to this as The
Media. Satellites send instant information around the world. TV sets, phones, automatic tellers are
loaded with information which can be accessed by a hand control, a pin number.
Computers store and generate massive amounts of information.
We
are dealing with this information daily and more and more of it is digital –
mobile phones, CD’s, DVD movies and the
next phase in TV’s. You and I will gain
the skills to use the technology through practice.
However,
the volume in which information is generated is growing at a rapid rate.
Information
is basic to your development in all areas of your school work then skills
related to information are also basic.
All
this means that new skills are essential – INFORMATION SKILLS.
These
are the skills to
·
Communicate
·
Handle
·
Understand INFORMATION
· Interpret
Whatever
the format of the information it is TEXT and GRAPHICS
There
are some basic guidelines to help you develop your Information Skills. You can practice them in most of your senior
subjects. These skills overlap
subjects.
There
will be links provided on Senior Web
to help you develop your understanding and skills with all types and formats of
information.
|
Information Skills Steps |
Things to do |
DefineWhat
is the task ? What
do I need to do ? -
type -
length -
parts Outline
an approach |
listen
or read the wording of the task identify
the key words and their meanings Ask
the teacher to explain any bits of it which aren’t clear ‘So
this means that I have to ….” |
|
Locate Where
can I find the information needed? -
sources What
methods will I use to locate sources? -
books -
newspapers/magazines -
computers (CD-ROM, Internet) |
Decide
whether you already know anything about it Work
out what you have to add to your existing knowledge or information Identify
possible sources using a variety of
formats (Print, Non-Print, people, places, equipment) |
Selecting What
information do I really need to use? |
Select
the best of the sources to use by: -
skimming for key words -
identifying information linked to the task -
assess the credibility of sources -
pick the best parts of sources to use -
summarise information Record
details of sources that are used |
Organising What
information do I need to use? How
can I best combine information from different sources? |
Review
the details of the task Give
the information a structure Adjust
the structure where necessary |
Presenting How
should I present the information |
Follow
the task instructions Prepare
the presentation (Draft) Present
the information (Final) |
Assessing What
did I learn from this? How
did I go? |
Review
the extent to which the end product met the requirements of the task Identify
ways to improve skills |
|
Information Skills Steps |
Things to do |
DefineWhat
is the task ? What
do I need to do ? -
type -
length -
parts Outline
an approach |
listen
or read the wording of the task identify
the key words and their meanings Ask
the teacher to explain any bits of it which aren’t clear ‘So
this means that I have to ….” |
|
Locate Where
can I find the information needed? -
sources What
methods will I use to locate sources? -
books -
newspapers/magazines -
computers (CD-ROM, Internet) |
Decide
whether you already know anything about it Work
out what you have to add to your existing knowledge or information Identify
possible sources using a variety of formats
(Print, Non-Print, people, places, equipment) |
Selecting What
information do I really need to use? |
Select
the best of the sources to use by: -
skimming for key words -
identifying information linked to the task -
assess the credibility of sources -
pick the best parts of sources to use -
summarise information Record
details of sources that are used |
Organising What
information do I need to use? How
can I best combine information from different sources? |
Review
the details of the task Give
the information a structure Adjust
the structure where necessary |
Presenting How
should I present the information |
Follow
the task instructions Prepare
the presentation (Draft) Present
the information (Final) |
Assessing What
did I learn from this? How
did I go? |
Review
the extent to which the end product met the requirements of the task Identify
ways to improve skills |
|
Information
Skills Steps |
Things to do |
DefineWhat
is the task ? What
do I need to do ? -
type -
length -
parts Outline
an approach |
listen
or read the wording of the task identify
the key words and their meanings Ask
the teacher to explain any bits of it which aren’t clear ‘So
this means that I have to ….” |
|
Locate Where
can I find the information needed? -
sources What
methods will I use to locate sources? -
books -
newspapers/magazines -
computers (CD-ROM, Internet) |
Decide
whether you already know anything about it Work
out what you have to add to your existing knowledge or information Identify
possible sources using a variety of
formats (Print, Non-Print, people, places, equipment) |
Selecting What
information do I really need to use? |
Select
the best of the sources to use by: -
skimming for key words -
identifying information linked to the task -
assess the credibility of sources -
pick the best parts of sources to use -
summarise information Record
details of sources that are used |
Organising What
information do I need to use? How
can I best combine information from different sources? |
Review
the details of the task Give
the information a structure Adjust
the structure where necessary |
Presenting How
should I present the information |
Follow
the task instructions Prepare
the presentation (Draft) Present
the information (Final) |
Assessing What
did I learn from this? How
did I go? |
Review
the extent to which the end product met the requirements of the task Identify
ways to improve skills |