Now that students have selected a general topic, their next task is to explore to this topic, looking for a more specific focus. Students must take the time to get to know their topics and gain background knowledge before they settle on a focus. They may come across conflicting information, which causes them to think and become uncomfortable. We've all heard it...here it comes: "Can I change my topic?"
Kuhlthau's research indicates that some of the stages are more difficult than others, and because of the uncomfortable feelings it brings about, exploration is one of those stages. In fact, her research concludes that "the stages of exploration and formulation are usually an unpleasant surprise for students and sometimes for teachers and librarians as well. Too often they expect to move directly from selecting the general topic for investigation to gathering and collecting information for completing the assignment. These studies show that the exploration and formulation stages are difficult and confusing for many students....However, it is during exploration that the most significant learning takes place in the inquiry process" (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, and Caspari, 2007, p.17).
For this reason, we need to construct interventions during this phase and let students know that it is normal to feel uncomfortable because they are attempting to merge what they know with unfamiliar and sometimes contradictory information. In other words, it's OK to feel confused and frustrated sometimes...it actually means they are learning.
(See Humbolt State University's chart for more information)
Benefits:
Emphasizing the exploration stage can break students of the scavenger hunt mentality that they experience in the library when confronted with a research project. Instead of searching for sources that seem to relate to their topics, students take time to really understand their topics and gain enough ideas about a topic before committing to a focus.
Pitfalls:
As Kuhlthau et al. (2007) explain, when students are left on their own at a time when their goals should be "to explore information and ideas within sources and to form new understandings from these ideas," they often resort to "blatant copying, narrow fact-finding, and unimaginative repetition of an author's work, with little real learning on the part of the student" (p. 22).
The internet and its vast amounts of information make the exploration phase even less likely to occur: "Now accustomed to easy access to information, students tend to skip preliminary, exploratory searching and focus formulation and proceed to information collection for their final product, without building background knowledge and formulating essential questions that drive and direct their information seeking" (Kuhlthau, Heinstrom and Todd).
Important Concepts:
Exploratory Search: The purpose of an exploratory search is to understand a topic better and try to find a focus. According to Kuhlthau et al. (2007), "in the exploratory search, information is gathered to define and extend the topic and lead to a focused perspective" (p. 84).
Listing: Listing ideas, questions, and descriptors (like subject headings and keywords) is essential for the exploration phase; this is not the time for detailed notes. Students can also use sticky notes with labels (I do!).
Conversation: Whether it be through journals/blogs, conferences, or other interventions, conversation allows "students to share their feelings of confusion and uncertainty and to receive support and suggestions about how to proceed" (Kuhlthau et al, 2007, p. 138).
Graphic or Web-based Organizers: Depending upon how students learn, listing, journaling, and blogging might not be enough. They may need to visualize their growing knowledge about the topic. These tool can help them to do this.
Stage 3: Exploration
Description
Now that students have selected a general topic, their next task is to explore to this topic, looking for a more specific focus. Students must take the time to get to know their topics and gain background knowledge before they settle on a focus. They may come across conflicting information, which causes them to think and become uncomfortable. We've all heard it...here it comes: "Can I change my topic?"Kuhlthau's research indicates that some of the stages are more difficult than others, and because of the uncomfortable feelings it brings about, exploration is one of those stages. In fact, her research concludes that "the stages of exploration and formulation are usually an unpleasant surprise for students and sometimes for teachers and librarians as well. Too often they expect to move directly from selecting the general topic for investigation to gathering and collecting information for completing the assignment. These studies show that the exploration and formulation stages are difficult and confusing for many students....However, it is during exploration that the most significant learning takes place in the inquiry process" (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, and Caspari, 2007, p.17).
For this reason, we need to construct interventions during this phase and let students know that it is normal to feel uncomfortable because they are attempting to merge what they know with unfamiliar and sometimes contradictory information. In other words, it's OK to feel confused and frustrated sometimes...it actually means they are learning.
(See Humbolt State University's chart for more information)
Benefits:
Emphasizing the exploration stage can break students of the scavenger hunt mentality that they experience in the library when confronted with a research project. Instead of searching for sources that seem to relate to their topics, students take time to really understand their topics and gain enough ideas about a topic before committing to a focus.Pitfalls:
As Kuhlthau et al. (2007) explain, when students are left on their own at a time when their goals should be "to explore information and ideas within sources and to form new understandings from these ideas," they often resort to "blatant copying, narrow fact-finding, and unimaginative repetition of an author's work, with little real learning on the part of the student" (p. 22).The internet and its vast amounts of information make the exploration phase even less likely to occur: "Now accustomed to easy access to information, students tend to skip preliminary, exploratory searching and focus formulation and proceed to information collection for their final product, without building background knowledge and formulating essential questions that drive and direct their information seeking" (Kuhlthau, Heinstrom and Todd).
Important Concepts:
Exploratory Search: The purpose of an exploratory search is to understand a topic better and try to find a focus. According to Kuhlthau et al. (2007), "in the exploratory search, information is gathered to define and extend the topic and lead to a focused perspective" (p. 84).Trails and Paths
Activities/Interventions:
Web Tools:
Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., and Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.