Research Guides: Educational Theories & Practice: Find original theory

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 find original theoretical sources and related sources on educational theories

Step 1: Look up a theory and identify theorist

Find background information on the theory or theorist in reference works, books, and websites.
Look for references to theorists' names. For example, for Albert Bandura (pictured), you might find:

"Social cognitive theory (SCT) is an account of human behavior and learning developed during the last half of the 20th century by Albert Bandura..."

-- Martin, J. (2014). Social cognitive theory. In D.C. Phillips (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy (759-762). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Find background information on theorists and theories
Recommended eReference, books, and more for background info on theories and theorists.

Image attribution: bandura@stanford.edu (Albert Bandura) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Step 2: Search for theorists' publications

Search for articles, books, or other publications written by a specific theorist.
You could do this by undertaking a search on:

GALILEO Advanced Search
In 'Select A Field' choose AU Author > Input the theorist's name, e.g. Albert Bandura > Search.
GIL-Find Catalog Advanced Search
Select the 'Any' field and change it to 'as author/creator' > Input the theorist's name, e.g. Albert Bandura > Search.
Web, e.g. Advanced Google Search
Search for the author's name and terms such as bibliography, publications, or CV. e.g. "Albert Bandura" bibliography. You may find bibliographies for well-known theorists.

Identify relevant sources and access the publication. If you cannot access, move on to Step 3.

Step 3: Access copies of theorists' publications:

If the citation you found isn't available in full-text, search for a copy of the publication that you can access. For example:

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1–26.

(Cited in the encyclopedia entry listed in Step 1).

Article citation: Search for the article (for example, by copying the title and authors) in GALILEO or Google Scholar.
- Cannot find a full-text copy of the article this way? Search for the journal in the Journals A-Z search. Link to the journal, then navigate to the appropriate year, volume, issue, and article.
Book citation: Search the GIL-Find Catalog for eBooks and books and Worldcat for copies at a library near you.

Attribution: This box on 'How to find original theoretical sources on educational theories' is derived from University of Ontario Institute of Technology's "Educational Theories" Library Guide.

If you want to find secondary resources that discuss applications of the original theory, then undertake a search on the theory, the theorist, and how you want to apply it.

For example

Your problem of practice of bulling in your school. You are curious to find out if anyone has documented practical strategies stemming from Goleman's Emotional Intelligence theory in scholarly journal articles.

How to undertake a search

In GALILEO or an individual education database, search for bullying in the elementary classroom, emotional intelligence and Goleman.

Breakdown your research idea into keywords and key phrases. Example:

Problem of practice: School bullying

Example theory: Emotional intelligence by Goleman

When you create your search (called a search query), leave out any stopwords. Group phrases into quotation marks so GALILEO or the database will search for that exact phrase at least once:

Sample Search Query for GALILEO or an individual education database, like ERIC

Search field 1: "School bullying"

Search field 2: "Emotional intelligence"

Search field 3: Goleman

For more search tips, consult the "Quick Search Tips" on the box to the left, the Advanced Search Example at the bottom of this page, of the Search Like a Pro Tab for detailed information.

Search GALILEO

GALILEO searches across all of the Libraries' databases at once.
Enter a few keywords and/or "key phrases", or search by title or author > Search or hit Enter/Return

Find articles in databases - a "medium level" search

Top databases
Additional databases

Why search within an individual or a set of databases rather than GALILEO?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed after a search on GALILEO? As GALILEO covers a wide range of disciplines, searching within an individual, or a small set of subject-specialty databases can be more on target and efficient. It is worth trying GALILEO first, and then run a similar search in a subject database/set of databases so you can compare and contrast your results.

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?

Enter one of the EBSCOhost databases below> Select 'Choose Databases' > Select desired databases > OK.

Education Database (Proquest)

ProQuest Education Journals gives users access to over 790 top educational publications, including more than 615 of the titles in full text.
Education Source
Education Source offers the largest and most complete collection of full-text education journals and encompasses an international array of English-language periodicals, monographs, yearbooks, and more to meet the needs of education students, professionals and policy makers. It covers all levels of education - from early childhood to higher education.
ERIC (at EBSCOhost)

A database covering all aspects of education and educational research.
Child Development and Adolescent Studies
Child Development & Adolescent Studies™ provides references to the current and historical literature related to growth and development of children through the age of 21. This database includes all of the issues of Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography from 1927 - 2001 previously published by the Society for Research in Child Development, plus new coverage on child rights and welfare issues. Book reviews and abstracts from hundreds of journals and a bibliography of thousands of technical reports, books, book chapters, theses and dissertations covering biomedical and social sciences worldwide are indexed in this database.
Professional Development Collection (education)
Professional Development Collection is a specialized collection of journal articles and pamphlets especially for professional educators that includes abstract and index coverage for 800 professional development titles and searchable full text for over 500 journals covering the most current topics in the field of education.

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?
Enter one of the EBSCOhost databases below> Select 'Choose Databases' > Select desired databases > OK.

ERIC (at www.eric.ed.gov)
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, provides access to education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research. The ERIC website is available to the public for searching more than one million citations going back to 1966.
JSTOR

Provides electronic access to back issues (from the date of first publication) of selected, core journals, organized into the Arts and Sciences Collections I & II, the General Sciences Collection, the Ecology and Botany Collection, and the Business Collection.
Project Muse
Project Muse similar to JSTOR, is a full-text journal database for over 100 journals in the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, and gender studies.
PsycARTICLES

PsycARTICLES, from the American Psychological Association (APA), includes full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in general psychology and specialized basic, applied, clinical, and theoretical research in psychology.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection

Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection includes articles from 410 full-text journal covering information concerning topics in emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational & experimental methods.
PsycINFO

The American Psychological Association's (APA) resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. The database also includes information about the psychological aspects of related fields such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, technology, linguistics, anthropology, business, law, and others.
Social Science Database (ProQuest)
ProQuest Social Science Journals is a definitive resource for those who need access to a variety of scientific journals. The database includes over 570 titles, with more than 340 available in full text. ProQuest Social Science Journals provides information on hundreds of topics,

Max your search with advanced search techniques: Example

The table below outlines search techniques to help you find more relevant results. Go to each tab to find out more about each one.

Example Problem of Practice: Bullying in the elementary classroom

Example Theory: Emotional Intelligence (Goleman)

Firstly, brainstorm any synonyms: Think of additional synonyms or related keywords to include in your search. For example:

elementary classroom - elementary classroom, primary classroom
bullying - teasing

Apply the following search techniques wherever applicable to find more relevant results.

Search Technique	Format	Example
Exact Phrase Searching	"key phrase"	"emotional intelligence"
Boolean Operators	AND, OR, NOT	[field 1] "emotional intelligence" AND [field 2] Goleman AND [field 3] bullying OR teasing AND [field 3] "elementary classroom" OR "primary classroom"
Parentheses	(keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR keyword/phrase)	(bullying OR teasing) AND "emotional intelligence" AND Goleman AND ("elementary classroom" OR "primary classroom")
Truncation Device	Typically an asterisk: * May vary according to database	(bully* OR teas) AND "emotional intelligence" AND Goleman AND ("elementary class" OR "primary class*")
Wildcard	Typically a pound symbol or question mark. Varies according to the database, so vary	"classroom management" AND "STE#M class*")

Exact Phrase Search

What it does	The format	Example/s
Will retrieve results containing your "key phrase" in the order that you have inputted at least once in the record details or the item contents	"Key phrase"	"classroom management" will find the phrase 'classroom management' at least once; it won't separate the words.

Boolean Operators

What they do	The format	Example
Boolean operators are 'connectors'. They combine keywords or key phrases in order to narrow or expand your search. In a simple search, if you use no Boolean Operator, the default operator is typically AND.	AND OR NOT	"Classroom management" AND bullying AND elementary NOT "high school"

Parentheses

What they do	The format	Example/s
Parentheses direct the search engine to perform your search in a certain order. They are great for expanding your search by combining synonyms and then connecting groups of synonyms with a Boolean Operator.	Example: (keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR keyword/phrase) BOOLEAN OPERATOR (keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR keyword/phrase)	"classroom management" AND bullying AND (elementary OR primary) NOT "high school"

Truncation

What it does	The format	Example
Enter part of a keyword and place the truncation symbol at the end. The database will return results that include any ending of that partial word.	Typically an asterisk i.e. * May vary from database to database.	"classroom management" AND bully* AND (elementary OR primary) NOT "high school" *** bully* will retrieve bully and bullying

Wildcard

What it does	The format	Example
A wildcard will substitute a symbol for one letter of a word. Great for including spelling variations of a keyword in your search. For some major databases, wildcards are unnecessary.	Typically a question mark or pound, i.e. ? or a # May vary according to the database. Consult the database's 'Help' or 'Search Tips' page to verify the wildcard symbol.	behavio?r or behavio#r will retrieve behavior, behaviour ne?t or ne#t will retrieve next, nest, neat, newt, etc.

Educational Theories & Practice: Find original theory