Research Skills Activity

Research Skills Activity

According to the University of Phoenix, week two materials (2013), the Research Skills Activity Project is intended for students to find an appropriate document for each topic using various databases provided in the University’s online library. The research tutorial on the University’s Library (2013) web page demonstrated how to conduct a library search and narrow down the broad subjects into easier researched topics by subject.

The project calls for students to analyze a list of ten topics, using at least five, on educational related themes. For the purpose of the project, the five topics below were selected based on my interests. I completed an online search for related publications. Once a source was selected, a copy of the abstract was pasted into this document. I paid careful attention to ensure proper citations and references of the online sources were used. The following five topics were selected: filtering of children’s internet access; the effect of class size on teacher hiring; regulation of home schooling; the use of standardized tests to determine student promotion; and finally, the relationship between parental involvement and student achievement (University of Phoenix, 2013).

Filtering of children’s internet access was the first topic selected. For this topic, an article written for Wyoming Tribune-Eagle by Scott Smith (1998) was chosen and is represented by the following abstract:

Where should censorship stop? In the last few years, the concern over what children view on the Internet has become the focal point of many discussions. That debate has now moved into the courtroom. A lawsuit is being played out in a Loudoun County, Va., courtroom. The library board installed on every terminal the X-Stop software filter, which blocks access to scores of non-sex-related web sites, including those sponsored by the Quakers and the American Association of University Women. The library system is being sued by library users and publishers of Web pages for violating their First Amendment rights. Now Congress is jumping into the fray (p.7).

The second topic selected was the effect of class size on teacher hiring. This topic is represented by an abstract from an article written for The Sun, by Mike Bowler (1997), which states:

The national shortage of math teachers, for example, is severe, and science isn't far behind. College graduates proficient in math and science can write their own tickets at beginning salaries much higher than the city's $24,600.

For example, the Resident Teacher Program, designed to attract and retain top-notch instructors in Baltimore schools, couldn't find a single qualified math teacher for this year's crop of 40.Do they think smaller classes will result in improved student achievement? Evidence for that argument is far from clear. Robert E. Slavin, the Johns Hopkins University education