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Critical Issues in Education: Prep to find articles

Useful for particular Education courses and anyone wanting to find articles, books, and more on critical issues in education.

Quick Search Tips

  • Use quotation marks to search for a phrase. For example, "theory of multiple intelligences"

     

  • Input each phrase or concept in a different box. For example, "theory of multiple intelligences" in the first box and “mathemtatics classroom” in the second will find articles about multiple intelligences theory applied to teaching mathematics.

     

  • Set search limits such as scholarly journals, full-text, or document type.

     

  • Sort results by date or relevance, especially if requested by your professor.

     

  • Look at suggested subjects to narrow your search.

     

  • Use truncation, for example, "strateg*" will find results with strategic, strategy, strategies

     

 

Common Search Problems and Solutions

What habits tend to retrieve good search results?

  • Boolean operators
  • Good subject headings and keywords
  • Accurate spelling
  • Narrowing search with filters/limiters

How do I widen a search to get more results?

  • Use a broader subject heading
  • Use fewer search terms or more synonyms (e.g. teens OR adolescents)
  • Check the spelling

How do I narrow a search to get fewer results?

  • Add more search terms
  • Reduce search from ALL FIELDS to specific data fields like Title/Abstract
  • Use a subject-specific database rather than GALILEO Discover

What do I do when I receive null (zero) results?

  • Check Boolean Operators (use more OR’s than AND’s to widen the results)
  • Try removing less important subject headings or keywords
  • Try using the GALILEO Discover consolidated search bar rather than specific databases

How to select your topic and refine or broaden it

Selecting your topic

Once you have chosen a general topic idea, the next step is to refine your topic and then formulate a research question.

A topic will be very hard to research if it is too broad or narrow. Pick a topic that is not too broad that you find too much information, and not too specific that you cannot find enough research to support it.Clip-art of a man and woman sitting in front of computer thinking

 

Some tips
  • If you aren't sure where to start, then it is better to start specific and then broaden your topic if you do not find enough results. 

     

  • You may need to refine your topic so that you aren't superficial by covering too many areas, e.g. "classroom management in middle school" is too broad.

     

  • You may need to broaden your topic if you are not finding enough research to support your paper, e.g. Classroom management of teaching sixth grade the Pythagorean theorem is too specific.

     

  • If you feel your topic is in a sweet spot of not too broad and not too specific, e.g. Classroom management of teaching middle school mathematics then you can begin searching for it, and see how you go. You may need to refine your topic further or broaden it a bit, depending on your results.

The next few tabs will take you through strategies to refine or broaden your research topic.

If you try these strategies and still experience issues getting your topic to that "sweet spot,"  talk to your professor or a librarian. Your liaison librarian can advise you on how to refine or broaden your topic, so it is "searchable."

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

How do I refine my topic?

One way to narrow a broad topic is to apply context to it, by assigning contextual facets to what you will cover.

Example

For example, you are interested in applying PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Support) in your classroom. But that is too broad. Searching on PBIS AND classroom will yield too many results. 

  1. Refine the context of your topic by thinking of the following ways:
Common contextual facets for education topics Examples
Discipline or Specific topic

PBIS to improve communication

PBIS for emotional and behavioral disorders
School age group

PBIS in the elementary classroom

PBIS for middle schoolers

PBIS for high school students 
Geographical or Socioeconomic area

PBIS in rural schools

PBIS in urban schools
Race or Ethnicity PBIS for African-American students
  1. Incorporate the most important contextual facets to form your research question. Start with incorporating one or two facets and see how you go in your search. 

Example: PBIS for high school students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

  • If you have too many results and have tried limiting your search with appropriate filters, you could incorporate additional facets.
  • If you don't have enough results and you tried expanding your search with synonyms and truncation, eliminate a facet. 

Warning! If you combine all of the facets, your topic might become too narrow and you might not find enough information!

Examples of refining topics

Below are three different topics that are too broad and how we have gradually refined them so they are in that "sweet spot" of not too specific and not too broad:

Research topic that is too broad Topic refined a little Suitably refined topic Revised research topic
  • Engaging apathetic students
 Engaging apathetic students - in high school Engaging apathetic students - in high school - in language arts How can I get my apathetic high school students to become engaged in language arts?
  • Behavior management strategies
 Behavior management strategies - in third-grade classroom Behavior management strategies - third-grade classroom - for ADHD students What behavior management strategies can I use for ADHD students in my third-grade classroom?
  • Positive reinforcement
 Positive reinforcement - lower elementary grades Positive reinforcement - lower elementary grades - disruptive behaviors What positive reinforcement strategies can I use for disruptive behaviors in lower elementary grades?

 

When to broaden your research topic

Sometimes, even if you tried to refine your topic just right, you will get too few results on it. You may need to broaden your topic.

Before you broaden your topic
  • Use different search tactics and techniques to expand your results
  • Consult your liaison librarian (or Ask a Librarian if they are unavailable) for expert search advice!

A librarian may know advanced search tactics and techniques you have not tried yet to help find results!

If you are still hardly getting any results, broaden your topic a little at a time until you find enough literature.  You can expand your research question by widening one of your contextual facets, and if that does not help, getting rid of it altogether. Start by broadening the facet that is least important.

 

Examples of broadening topics

 

Topic that is too specific Broadened a little Suitably broadened topic Revised Research Question
Managing an overcrowded curriculum in high school physical sciences Managing an overcrowded curriculum in high school sciences Managing an overcrowded curriculum in secondary school sciences How can I manage an overcrowded curriculum in high school sciences?
Quantitative and qualitative assessment in the adult language classroom to measure reading comprehension Assessment in the adult language classroom to measure reading comprehension Assessment in the adult classroom to measure comprehension How do I assess in the adult language classroom to measure comprehension?
Differentiated instruction by achievement levels in the fourth grade Differentiated instruction by achievement levels in upper-elementary grades Differentiated instruction by achievement in elementary school How do I differentiate instruction by achievement levels in upper-elementary grades?