WHAT MADE YOU WRITE ABOUT THAT? (And are you sure you should?) Kacy Lundstrom Reference & Instruction Librarian Utah State University

What our library instruction looks like: USU’s course-integrated model English 2010 Persuasive Research Essay Student’s encouraged to come with a topic

The Assignment – No Parameters:

Consequently – the Standbys: Created by Wordle:

Research Study Questions: What process do students engage in when selecting a topic for a persuasive research paper? What factors contribute to this decision? How can librarians effectively assist during this process?

Research on Topic Selection Most of the specific research is on children Much of the research is dated Some graduate level research (thesis choosing) Most of the research is from writing instructors Project Information Literacy

Findings: Of the students surveyed, (84%) said the most difficult step was getting started. (66%) struggled defining a topic (62%) struggled narrowing it down

What we did: Four focus groups of 5-7 students for 2 hours General Writing Process? How do you choose/reject a topic? How do these factors relate? What do you think of these topics? Instructor and librarian roles?

What they’re saying:

Motivations for Writing Courses “It comes down not to how much you learn in college but getting good grades to get my diploma.” “I’m not a writer. I don’t care for the process.” Mature researchers

Their topics Dangers of aggressive driving Why Iran is not a nuclear threat High stakes testing and its effects Quitting smoking Validity of the college football Bowl Championship Series Importance of family mealtime U.S. dependence on corn Image from:

Factors in the Process Personal relatability/interest Creativity Researchability Pleasing the Instructor Controversy Perceived Ease

On Factors that Influence their Decision: Tension between pleasing the instructor and personal interest “Ease comes from interest” Ease relates to researchability “Academic-ness” Creativity ranked low

Controversy Strong opinions on controversy Defined as hot button topics Avoided racial topics Influence of peer review Lacked desire to be controversial (argumentative) “Anything can be controversial”

Direct Instructor Influence Brainstorming Activities Proposals Individual Consultations Parameters Historical time period Banned topics

Indirect Instructor Influence “I didn’t know the teacher well enough to take the leap and wanted a decent grade." Students leaned to “safer” topics Student who wrote two papers A+

Student Response to a Librarian’s Help Identified as helping students find research – not with topic selection Better marketing needed Librarians could help provide topic lists

Librarians vs. Instructors: Perceived Roles “It’s kind of confusing. When I think of a librarian, it’s someone who knows where the books are and reads the books. When I’m thinking about the topics, I think of my teacher because she majors in English. Maybe people are confused about the role of the librarians and don’t realize they have background similar to the teacher as having done a lot of research more than just knowing where the books are.”

Challenges Navigating, Blurring (and conveying) whose role does what Improving marketing More research needed “Not enough librarian to go around”

Changes in Practice Redefine learning goals to meet learning bottlenecks Getting started identified as #1 Flip the Classroom “Come with a Vague Idea”

Continued… READ and LEARN vs. FIND Reading leads to good ideas, redefinition and better topics and papers Collect more data What are instructors already doing? How do instructors see librarian’s role? More collaboration between instructors & librarians Information Literacy Fellows

References Berrett, D. (2012). How 'flipping' the classroom can improve the traditional lecture. Education Digest, 78(1), Hampel, R. L. (2008). In Search of New Frontiers: How Scholars Generate Ideas. Chronicle of Higher Education, 55(17), A72. Head, A. J., & Eisenberg, M. B. (2010). Truth be told: How college students evaluate and use information in the digital age. Project Information Literacy Progress Report. Retrieved from Nutefall, Jennifer E. and Phyllis Mentzell Ryder. “The Timing of the Research Question: First-Year Writing Faculty and Instruction Librarians’ Differing Perspectives.” portal: Libraries and the Academy 10 (4), October 2010: 437–449. Trocco, F. (1998, October). CSI | How to Study Weird Things. Skeptical Inquirer (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). Retrieved May 14, 2012, from

Questions?