Teaching Effective Literature Use Skills for Research Reports in Geography

• Published in: Journal of geography in higher education Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 247 - 264
• Main Author: Price, Bronwyn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Taylor & Francis Group 01-05-2010; Routledge; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Australia; College students; Comparative analysis; Discussion; Discussion (Teaching Technique); Educational Research; Effective literature use; Foreign Countries; Geography; Geography Instruction; Information Literacy; Instructional Effectiveness; Questionnaires; Research Reports; Small Group Instruction; Student Improvement; Student writing; Studies; Teaching Methods; Technical Writing; Undergraduate Students; Workshops; Writing Instruction; Writing Skills; Australia
• ISSN: 0309-8265; 1466-1845
• DOI: 10.1080/03098260903493945

The ability to use literature effectively is essential to provide context and interpret results for any research project. Undergraduate students in geographical disciplines are regularly required to produce research reports, yet formal training in effective literature use is minimal. In this study students were taught effective literature use methods in a workshop involving group work and class discussion. Comparison was made between current students' and previous students' performance to determine any improvement with the new teaching methods. Results demonstrate that a relatively basic approach of explicitly teaching effective literature use can be effective and improve students' research report writing skills.