Instructions For the Research Report

G17, Fall 2002  Dr. Leon James

Section 1: Introduction

First introduce the topic to the reader. Give an overview and a summary. Include the elements of the theory as you understand it. As you can see, this part of the introduction should be written after you completed all the Sections.

Then go on to review at least three of the Generational student papers listed below.

1. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/459f96/rmitsui/409/reports/report2.html

2. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/malonzo/report2.html

3. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/cohta/459/report2.html

4. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/hansjurg/reports/Report2a.html

5. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/march/409/report2.html

6. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/gandrews/report2.html

7. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/cohta/409/409report2.html

For each review:

First describe what is the student's point of view on learning the Internet. Select specific sentences to quote and make links to the original. Use formatting to set these sentences off to look different from your own text. These quotes should illustrate a developmental phases in learning that they're going through. Give a title and definition for each phase, reflecting your own perspective on it.

Second, how do you react to that description? How does it fit with your experiences this semester in relation to searching and the Web publishing of your work?

Third, How do you explain these patterns? What is their cause? What hypotheses do you have? Be sure to bring in theory from your Section 4. Obviously, after doing Section 4, you need to come back to this Section to complete it.

Section 2: Self-observation Data

First, point to the forms.html file with a link and invite the reader to explore it. Be sure that you have a link in forms.html that leads back to your Research Report. Try to format your Forms so that the reader can inspect it more easily. For example, you can use Bold or a different font for your answers.

Second, describe how you gathered the data. Point to the Forum instructions and the Bibliography Report instructions with links to each. Give enough detail on how you gathered the data. What was it like to have to fill out the Form? How did it influence your search session? How well do the data represent what you actually did, or what actually happened in each search session? Give your opinion about the type of data these Forms help you to give out. Would this information be useful for system designers and search engine administrators? Does it give them useful information about users and what they go through as they try to use their software or information services?

Third, summarize the data from the Forms. Create a Table or matrix that allows one to inspect the patterns in the data. Use averages and ranges where appropriate, to indicate trends or summaries. Do you notice any pattern? Examine the questions. What do they measure about you as a user? Be sure to relate this to your threefold self as a searcher: your affective information behavior, your cognitive information behavior, and your your sensorimotor information behavior. Does anything in the data seem valid or invalid? What's the difference between the information on yourself from the numbers vs. the information you provided in the explanations? Can you suggest improvements in the questions or the form as a whole?

Fourth, what can you conclude from these data about (a) your information behavior, and (b) the computer and search engines you used? Be sure to use the theory from Section 4 to discuss your information behavior. Make sure you distinguish and discuss your affective information behavior, your cognitive information behavior, and your your sensorimotor information behavior.

Section 3: Counseling Session

First, describe the session briefly.

Second, what did you learn form the counseling session?

Third, what suggestions do you have for improving the learning experience of future students?

Section 4: The Psychology of Information Literacy

First, summarize the instructor's article discussing the Generational Curriculum:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/instructor/kcc/kcc97.html

Be sure to include the developmental phases as well as the threefold self (affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor), which is described in the appendix of the article:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/instructor/kcc/kcctables.html

Do not quote from the article. Use only your own words.

Second, show how your Research Report fits into this approach you described in your review of the article. Identify the phases you went through and give some examples from your data in the forms.html file.

Third, search on the Web to find a suitable definition or description of what is "information literacy." Explain what that definition is with a link to the original article. Use your own words. Do not quote.

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REVIEW your report to make sure you have these covered:

1) The First Screen on on top should contain:

Title of your report along with rest of information, as follows:

Research Report: Learning To Become Internet Literate

by Your Name or Pseudonym, G17, Fall 2002

Dr. Leon James, Instructor: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/leon.html

Instructions for this report are at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy17/g17research.html

2) The bottom of the document should contain a link to your Home Page and the Class Home Page

3) No paragraph exceeds 7 lines in full window.

4) No background--just plain white or light pastels.

5) Spell check the document more than once.

6) Make sure all links work well.

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