{"id":94972,"date":"2012-11-01T11:02:04","date_gmt":"2012-11-01T16:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2012\/11\/01\/part-iii-the-changing-definition-of-research\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:17:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:17:37","slug":"part-iii-the-changing-definition-of-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2012\/11\/01\/part-iii-the-changing-definition-of-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Part III: The Changing Definition of \u201cResearch\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beyond simply shaping research habits and practices, this population of middle and high school teachers suggests that the very definition of what \u201cresearch\u201d is has changed considerably in the digital world, and that change is reflected in how their students approach the task.\u00a0 The growing use and popularity of search engines among all segments of the population as a critical tool for finding information is reflected in today\u2019s middle and high school students, who have not known a world without these tools.\u00a0 As a result, their very conception of \u201cresearch\u201d may be fundamentally different from prior generations.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cResearch = Googling\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

According to the teachers in this study, perhaps the most fundamental impact of the internet and digital tools on how students conduct research is how today\u2019s digital environment is changing the very definition of what \u201cresearch\u201d is and what it means to \u201cdo research.\u201d\u00a0 Ultimately, some teachers say, for students today, \u201cresearch = Googling.\u201d \u00a0Specifically asked how their students would define the term \u201cresearch,\u201d most teachers felt that students would define the process as independently gathering information by “looking it up” or “Googling.\u201d\u00a0 And when asked how middle and high school students today \u201cdo research,\u201d the first response in every focus group, teachers and students, was \u201cGoogle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

In focus group discussions, teachers framed prior generations\u2019 research practices as a time-consuming process that involved formulating a clear research question and then seeking out relevant and accurate information from trusted sources (mainly libraries), often with the aid of an expert (such as a reference librarian).\u00a0 In contrast, many suggest that today\u2019s students define and approach the process of \u201cdoing research\u201d very differently.\u00a0 What was once a slow process that ideally included intellectual curiosity and discovery is becoming a faster-paced, short-term exercise aimed at locating just enough information to complete an assignment.\u00a0 Teachers noted that this trend is driven not only by the immediacy and ease of the online search process, but also the time constraints today\u2019s students face in their lives more generally.<\/p>\n\n

The survey reveals search engines top the list of resources students use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Teachers\u2019 perceptions that their students use only a handful of resources and rely mainly on search engines for their research are echoed in survey results.\u00a0 Asked how likely their students were to use a variety of different information sources for a typical research assignment, 94% of the teachers participating in the survey said their students were \u201cvery likely\u201d<\/i>\u00a0to use Google or other online search engines, placing it well ahead of the other sources asked about.\u00a0 Second to search engines was the use of Wikipedia or other online encyclopedias, which 75% of teachers said their students were\u00a0\u201cvery likely\u201d<\/i>\u00a0to use in a typical research assignment.\u00a0 And rounding out the top three was YouTube or other social media sites, which about half of teachers (52%) said their students were\u00a0\u201cvery likely\u201d<\/i>\u00a0to use.<\/p>\n\n

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\"Figure\"<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n

Virtually all subgroups of this sample of AP and NWP teachers reported similar levels of student use of search engines.\u00a0 The only exception to this pattern was among teachers of the lowest income students (those living below the poverty line); this group was slightly less inclined (at 90%) to say their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use search engines in a typical research assignment. This group was also among the least likely to report their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias (68% compared with 75% of the total sample).\u00a0 In contrast, 80% of teachers whose students are described as mostly upper and upper middle income say their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use sites like Wikipedia.<\/p>\n\n

The use of online encyclopedias as research tools also varied slightly by subject taught, with English teachers at the low end (69%) and science teachers at the high end (82%) of the range of those saying their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use this source.\u00a0 English teachers are also the least likely to describe their students as \u201cvery likely\u201d to use YouTube and other social media sites in a typical research assignment, with 44% reporting this level of use.\u00a0 The figure for the sample of teachers as a whole is slightly higher at 52%.<\/p>\n\n

More \u201ctraditional\u201d sources of information, such as textbooks, print books, online databases, and research librarians ranked well below these newly emerging technologies. Fewer than one in five teachers said their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use any of these sources in typical research assignments.\u00a0 In the case of online databases and printed books, half or more of the teachers who participated in the survey said their students are \u201cnot too likely\u201d or \u201cnot at all likely\u201d to use these sources. \u00a0In fact, fewer teachers said their students are likely to use these sources than to use their peers, study guides such as SparkNotes or CliffNotes, or the websites of major news organizations.<\/p>\n\n

When it comes to the use of print books, the findings across all subgroups in this sample of teachers are surprisingly consistent. Teachers of the poorest students\u2014those living below the poverty line\u2014stand out slightly in that they most commonly say their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use print books in their research assignments (19% say this). Also among the teacher subgroups particularly likely to say their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use print books in research assignments are middle school teachers (19%) when compared with 9th<\/sup>-10th<\/sup>\u00a0grade teachers (12%) and 11th<\/sup>-12th<\/sup>\u00a0grade teachers (11%). At the other end of the range, science (7%) and math (9%) teachers are particularly\u00a0un<\/i>likely to say print books are a common source for their students.<\/p>\n\n

Among the subgroups of this sample who are most inclined to say their students are \u201cvery likely\u201d to use research librarians as a source are English teachers (20%) and teachers ages 55 and older (22%).\u00a0 But again, these figures are only slightly higher than the 16% of all teachers who say this is the case.<\/p>\n\n

In focus groups, teachers noted that students prefer the internet because they find it a more interesting and entertaining platform.\u00a0 While the internet is a \u201ccool\u201d place to do research, other more traditional sources are perceived as \u201cboring\u201d by students.\u00a0 The internet offers multi-media content, links to additional information, interactive formats, and textbooks and other print books pale in comparison.<\/p>\n\n

Traditional Textbooks are one-dimensional. They aren’t interactive. They don’t let me go somewhere else if I want more information. There’s no sound, no movies, no hyperlinks. Students are accustomed to interacting with text. I think that’s why textbooks on the iPad have been successful.<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 National Writing Project teacher<\/p>

Last week, I gave my students twenty questions posed by the guys at Flocabulary in conjunction with the Wikipedia Blackout in Response to SOPA. The questions ranged from What is the State Bird of Arkansas” to “Who won Super Bowl X?” to “Who won the Republican primary last week?” Since the students could not use Wikipedia, it was interesting to see what they went to next: Ask.com, About.com. Dogpile.com, Google.com, Answers.com, and a host of other sites like these that are a part of my students’ collective toolbox when it comes to securing sources from the web. But when they were answering the one regarding the Super Bowl, none of the students in the six classes I teach ever thought to consult The National Football League. Further, when a question was posed about the first Starbucks, none of my students thought to ask anyone else in the room for their residential expertise.<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 National Writing Project teacher<\/p>

Teaching students to do effective searches like SweetSearch.com helps them to understand that a discourse community does exist in regard to their selected subject and these parties often\u2014well always\u2014offer readily citable information wherein their traditional tried and true searches do not.\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 National Writing Project teacher<\/p>

Students in my school setting know Yahoo and Google and as I have mentioned before, they think whatever they find on the internet is true. I teach my students to look at the initial source and see if they have any credible individuals to back up their research. Sometimes this is time consuming, but they do figure out there are bogus sites out there. I think students need to know there are people out there with websites just because they can have them. Students see the internet as a cool place where they can get quick information. They don’t know how to use it properly. I am not sure there are adults that know how to use it properly.\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 National Writing Project teacher\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n

Teens are not alone in their reliance on search engines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The trend among teens to equate finding information with \u201cGoogling\u201d mirrors trends seen in adults over the past decade.\u00a0 Over time, Pew Internet\u2019s surveys of adults have consistently shown that search engine use tops the list of most popular online activities, along with email.\u00a0 Currently, 91% of online adults use search engines to find information on the web, up from 84% in June 2004. On any given day online, 59% of those using the internet use search engines. In 2004 that figure stood at just 30% of internet users.[9. numoffset=”9″ See \u201cSearch and Email Still Top the List of Most Popular Online Activities,\u201d available at\u00a0https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2011\/Search-and-email.aspx<\/a>.] Moreover, among adult search users, Google is far and away the most used search engine with Yahoo placing a distant second, and its dominance is growing over time.<\/p>\n\n

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\"Figure<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n

Not only are adults increasingly reliant on search engines as an information resource, but they also report generally trusting the results they get and feeling the quality and relevance of the information provided by search engines is improving over time.[10. \u201cSearch Engine Use 2012,\u201d available at\u00a0https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Press-Releases\/2012\/Search-Engine-Use-2012.aspx<\/a>.]\u00a0Specifically:<\/p>\n\n