Opinion
Curriculum Letter to the Editor

Research Skills Need to Be Taught

May 15, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

During the past few years, the practice of asking high school students to interview experts in connection with school projects has become commonplace. I am an academic psychologist who studies adolescent development. In a typical week, I receive multiple requests from students who are writing papers on the topic. The emails I receive from students are always courteous, and many are thoughtful. But given their number, it is simply not possible to respond to all of these students’ inquiries with the care they deserve.

I also question the value of these sorts of assignments. Interviewing an expert is journalism, not research. Students need to learn how to locate and read original sources for research projects. Yet, I have not received a single email inquiry from a high school student in which research papers, or even citations to papers, were requested. That is what students should be asking for. (In contrast, when I receive an inquiry from a high school journalist working on a story, I usually try to answer, just as I would respond to any serious journalist.)

Instead of encouraging students to take this sort of shortcut, teachers who wish to develop their students’ research skills should be instructing students on how to use the library and other sources of information. That is what they will be asked to do in college.

Laurence Steinberg

Professor of Psychology

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pa.

A version of this article appeared in the May 16, 2012 edition of Education Week as Research Skills Need to Be Taught

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum History Group Finds Little Evidence of K-12 'Indoctrination'
Most social science educators say they keep politics out of the classroom, but need help identifying good curriculum resources
6 min read
Photo of U.S. flag in classroom.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Curriculum How an International Baccalaureate Education Cuts Through the ‘Noise’ on Banned Topics
IB programs offer students college credit in high school and advanced learning environments.
9 min read
James Minor teaches his IB Language and Literature class at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla., on Jan. 23, 2024.
James Minor teaches his IB Language and Literature class at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla., on Jan. 23, 2024.
Zack Wittman for Education Week
Curriculum Explainer Social Studies and Science Get Short Shrift in Elementary Schools. Why That Matters
Learn why the subjects play a key role in elementary classrooms—and how new policy debates may shift the status quo.
10 min read
Science teacher assists elementary school student in the classroom
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Curriculum Letter to the Editor Finance Education in Schools Must Be More Than Personal
Schools need to teach students to see how their spending impacts others, writes the executive director of the Institute for Humane Education.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week