Kuper, E., Volman, M., & Terwel, J. (2005). The Web as an Information Resource in K–12 Education: Strategies for Supporting Students in Searching and Processing Information. Review of Educational Research, 285-328.
This article focuses on the usefulness of the internet as an information resource for K-12 students. The articles aim is to answer two fundamental questions, “What are the characteristics of the Web-search behavior of children, and what problems do the children encounter? Which characteristics of the Web should be taken into account when using it in education?” (Kuper, Volman, & Terwel, 2005). Although the question of whether the internet was not explicitly laid out in the questions, the idea that through answering those questions during the research, that the usefulness of the web as a resource would be gleaned. The article brings together past research regarding the webs usefulness, together with the authors own new research.
The authors decide to limit their research to 1997 to the present time, which was 2005. They do concede that the amount of research before 1997 is limited. They decide not to focus just on empirical studies, but also focused on theoretical and philosophical studies to try to answer the aforementioned questions. The history of research is presented, along with some of the findings of the empirical research. The article speaks to the characteristics of the children studied, including how much prior knowledge they may have, age, and gender. Within the research presentation additional questions are asked that will help to answer the overall questions presented by the article. Subsequently after presenting the findings the authors present additional research questions.
Kuper, Els, Monique Volman and Jan Terwel. “The Web as an Information Resource in K–12 Education: Strategies for Supporting Students in Searching and Processing Information.” Review of Educational Research (2005): 285-328.
This article was chosen, due to my background as a technical trainer. My main focus is web based learning and research. Although the students are older and not school children, the foundation of this research can still be applied, by studying how useful the web can be for information research. That main question does not change in my opinion based on the audience. The idea that the web is viable method of research, not only primarily, but exclusively is an emerging interest.
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