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Education Guide for Postgraduate and Honours Students

Introduction

Library Services
Guides to the Collections | Access to Resources | Borrowing | Photocopying | Document Supply Service
Tropicat | Opening Hours | Using Journals

Electronic Resources for Education
Internet Computer Access | World Wide Web
AEI: Australian Education Index | ERIC | Current Contents
FirstSearch | InfoTrac | UnCOVER | Other Internet Resources

Research in Education | Off-Campus Students | Personal Assistance


Introduction

The information literacy skills you gained during your time at university will be even more valuable to you now as you will need to make greater use of library resources. Check that you are familiar with the areas listed below. If you have any questions about these, ask for help at InfoHelp or from the Education Librarian. Staff and postgraduate students new to James Cook University or unfamiliar with the current layout and facilities are welcome to contact the librarian for a general orientation or more specific assistance.

Guides to the Collections

The following guides may be useful. They are mostly available on the Web, with a Word version available for printing. Off-Campus students without internet access are welcome to request copies.

There are a number of other library and computing guides which you may find useful. Please ask if you are unable to find a guide for a specific topic.

Access to Resources

Borrowing
The borrowing conditions for honours and postgraduate students are different from those for undergraduates. Web-based information is available from Lending Services detailing these. Off campus students should go to the Off Campus Service guide for information.

Photocopying and Printing
Material is photocopied and printed using cards available for purchase in the main photocopy area on the ground floor of the library building. Copying Services will give you full details. Ask your supervisor if there are any alternative arrangements for postgraduates in the School of Education, but remember that journals may not normally be borrowed.

Document Supply Service
In carrying out your literature search, you will find references relevant to your topic which are not held in the JCU library collections. Careful selection from the references you locate may allow you to obtain the information you need locally but, from time to time, you may need to obtain copies of books or journal articles from another library. Ask at InfoHelp or Document Supply Service for details of the Inter-Library Loan service. Document Supply costs are charged to the user and you may need to discuss the need to obtain these items with your supervisor.

If you need to make extended use of an item not held by the Library, it may be possible to make a purchase proposal; however, if purchased it could take some time for the item to become available.

Students based elsewhere may be able to request Reciprocal Borrowing privileges at another library.

Tropicat
The James Cook University Library online catalogue, Tropicat, may be accessed from any computer connected to the internet, or via a modem. The guide to Search TropicatPLUS is linked from this page; to use this service, you will need your JCU login and password.

Opening Hours
Library opening hours throughout the year are available both on the Web and in print. The Library buildings remain open during vacations; however the hours are more limited and may vary.

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Using Journals

Journal articles are particularly important because they:
  • are more up-to-date than books;
  • usually concentrate on a specific aspect of a topic;
  • may report research findings;
  • may cover topics too brief to warrant a longer book.

Finding relevant articles in journals is likely to be an important part of your library research. It is important to remember that searching for suitable references can be very time-consuming.

New journal issues
New journals are received regularly by the Library. Issues received during the previous week are displayed on the first floor of the Douglas Library and changed every Friday morning. You may find it valuable to scan the new education issues each week. This will keep you up to date with new developments and help you become familiar with available titles and the type of information they provide. The Tropicat entry will tell you the most recent issue of a journal received by the Library.

Older journal issues
In general it is too time consuming to scan through back issues of journals hoping to find what you need. To find articles on specific topics in older journals you will need to use one or more of the indexing and abstracting tools held by the Library. When choosing which to use, consider the following:

  • is the subject area covered general or specialised?
  • which journals are covered?
  • which geographic areas are covered?
  • is there a thesaurus available?

Some journal indexing and abstracting services are available in more than one format, for example as print, as data stored on compact discs (CD-ROM) and as remote computer databases for online or Internet searching. Each of these formats stores essentially the same information but it can be manipulated in different ways. When more than one format is available, the following guidelines will help you decide which one to use for which sort of query.

Search strategy
It will reduce the time you spend on each search if you start by defining your search problem and carefully choosing the best tool and format to provide an answer. Some of the major indexing and abstracting tools in education held by the Library are listed in the Education Guide. These print sources are held in the Reference Collection.

Remember, too, that you may find valuable material by using one of the indexing and abstracting tools outside the education area, for example Psychological Abstracts / PsycLIT.

If you are unfamiliar with using these tools the VISA: Virtual Information Skills Activity , JCU's online information literacy tutorial, includes a section on their use, and staff at InfoHelp will be happy to help.

Beginning
It is probably a good idea to do a brief search on the print version first, if this is possible. This gives you an overview of the index and an idea of what sort of work has been published in the field you are searching. It also helps you to check that you are using the right search terms and the right indexing service. Browsing of related and adjacent subject headings may be possible at the same time.

If you have not yet decided on the details of your search and want to browse through a number of headings, then use print indexes. Electronic searches are better for more focussed searches.

When speed is important
If you want only a few references from a subject area where there are many, it may be quicker to search the latest issues of the printed index available on the shelves.

If your search is very specific in subject area (e.g. is exactly described by one term in the indexing service thesaurus) and is for a limited time span, then it may be quicker to search the printed index.

If you want to search for two or more concepts that you want to link then electronic searching is preferable.

When thoroughness is important
Electronic databases often have more index points than the printed version. This allows you to search in a more comprehensive way, although the results of a very comprehensive search are likely to include some items of limited relevance to your topic.

If you want to use new terms that do not appear in the thesaurus then you will need to use electronic search services which allow you to search by free text.

If you expect to retrieve a large number of references you will probably prefer to use electronic access, especially if you have the option to download your search onto disc rather than print it.

The newest and the oldest
If you want the very latest references, then an Internet search is usually the most effective method of searching. Some Internet sources are described below.

If you want to search the older literature (say pre 1975), it may only be possible in print because machine readable records are often not created retrospectively. Often electronic databases do not cover as many years as the print equivalents.

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Electronic Services for Education

A variety of education sources including journal indexes and abstracts may be searched by computer. Some of the more important electronic services in the education area are outlined below. These are available from computers in the JCU Library or elsewhere which are linked to the Internet either through the campus network or via modem. Searches can be carried out for students without access to these services.

Internet Computer Access

Computers in Australian universities, research organisations, and increasingly schools and commercial organisations are interconnected, and in turn are connected to the Internet, an international network connecting many national networks with access to educational, military, government and commercial organisations worldwide.

To access the Internet

The Internet makes it possible to:

  • send and receive electronic mail (EMAIL);
  • read and post items on discussion groups, lists and bulletin boards;
  • login to remote databases, e.g. access the online catalogues of other university libraries Australia and overseas;
  • access a variety of other services including electronic journals and reference materials.

NOTE that the availability and reliability of services will vary from day to day. Services available are changing rapidly, so please check with the Education Liaison Librarian or InfoHelp for the latest details.

The printed guide Getting started on the Internet at JCU will give you more details of what is possible via the JCU Network and provide a starting point for more information.

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (WWW) is a rapidly-expanding electronic information resource. It consists of hundreds of thousands of different 'documents' located on computers all over the world. The documents can contain text, images, sound and video, and (as in this guide) you can move between documents using Hypertext links which are embedded into the document.

JCU has installed a World Wide Web server, and created a homepage or gateway to other services on campus, and throughout the world. Access is normally via a graphical browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer; you will need access to a personal computer with a connection into JCUNet. These are available in various Computer Labs on campus or in the Library.

Please ask if you would like this resource demonstrated. The Internet resources outlined below are accessed through this gateway. Several handouts are available describing various aspects of the Internet and the Web.

For services which require passwords, access is available only to staff and students of JCU University. Authorisation and password details are available from InfoHelp on presentation of your library borrower's card, or by emailing infohelp@jcu.edu.au on a JCU email account.

There are a number of education-related sources. This page will give you a description and direct links for these.

For a full list of available databases go to the Electronic Databases page.

Guides to most databases are available from InfoHelp on the Guides & Tutorials page.

Other Internet Resources

It is possible to browse on the Internet or use search engines to find relevant material. Many useful resources, including journals, databases, reference materials and curriculum resources are available electronically. So far this material complements but does not replace print resources. Although there are some very useful resources, there is also much less valuable material taking up space, and there is no easy way to sort the good from the bad. You need to constantly assess the value of resources and might wish to use these links for evaluation of Web sites.

One of the difficulties with using Internet resources is that they are not so well controlled or catalogued as print resources. The Faculty Librarians at James Cook University try to make this easier for you by maintaining pages of links to World Wide Web resources which we have checked for relevance, authority and timeliness. Try our Internet Resources Subject Pages or go to the Internet Resources for Education.

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Research in Education

The following bibliography provides a selection of books available in the Library on the topic of conducting research in education. A search on Tropicat would provide further examples.

		Anderson, G. J. (1998).  Fundamentals of educational
	research. (@nd ed.). London: Falmer Press.		370.78 AND 1998

		Bell, J. (1987).  Doing your research project: A guide for 
	first-time researchers in education and social science. Milton 
	Keynes, Eng.: Open University Press.			370.78 BEL

		Best, J. W. & Kahn, J. V. (1999).  Research in education. 
	(8th ed.).  Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.	370.78 BES 1999

		Burns, R. B. (1994).  Introduction to research methods. (2nd ed.).  
	Melbourne: Longman Cheshire.				370.78 BUR 1994

		Carr, W. (1995). For education: Towards critical educational 
	inquiry.  Buckingham, Eng.: Open University Press.	370.78 CAR

		Cohen, L. & Manion, L. (1994). Research methods in education. 
	(4th ed.).  London: Routledge.				370.78 COH T2 1994

		Delamont, S. (1992).  Fieldwork in educational settings: 
	Methods, pitfalls and perspectives. London: Falmer Press.
								370.78 DEL

		Elliott, J. (1991). Action research for educational change.  
	Milton Keynes, Eng.: Open University Press.		370.78041 ELL

		Goodson, I. F. (1994). Studying curriculum: Cases and methods.  
	Buckingham, Eng.: Open University Press.		375.0001 GOO

		Hammersley, M. (1993). Controversies in classroom research: 
	A reader. (2nd ed.).  Buckingham, Eng.: Open University Press.
								370.78 CON 1993

		Kincheloe, J. L. (1991). Teachers as researchers: Qualitative 
	inquiry as a path to empowerment. London: Falmer Press.
								370.78073 KIN

		Kridel, C. A. (Ed.). (1998). Writing educational
	biography: Explorations in qualitative research. New York: Garland.
								370.72 WRI 

		Lancy, D. F. (1993). Qualitative research in education: An 
	introduction to the major traditions. New York: Longman.
								370.78 LAN

		LeCompte, M. D., Millroy, W. E. & Preissle, J. (Eds.). (1992). 
	The handbook of qualitative research in education.  San Diego: 
	Academic Press.						370.72 HAN

		McNiff, J. (1993). Teaching as learning: An action research 
	approach.  New York: Routledge.			371.102072 MACN

		Olson, M. W. (1990).  Opening the door to classroom research.  
	Newark, Del.: International Reading Association.	370.78 QUA

		Robinson, V. M. (1993). Problem based methodology: Research for 
	the improvement of practice. Oxford: Pergamon.		370.78 ROB

		Seefeldt, C. (1992). (Ed.). The early childhood curriculum: 
	A review of current research. (2nd ed.).  New York: Teachers College 
	Press.							372.19 EAR T2 1992

		Spodek, B. (1993). Handbook of research on the education of 
	young children.  New York: Macmillan.			372.21 HAN

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Off-Campus Students

Off Campus Library Services are available to James Cook University students whose place of residence during the academic year is more than 50km from the campus where they are enrolled (including Magnetic Island). Information on the available services is sent to all eligible students, however if you don't receive this please contact the Off Campus Officer, Jo Kellett, on (07) 4781 4380 or via email, Jo.Kellett@jcu.edu.au. If you would like any of the booklets mentioned in this guide, or have any other questions regarding access to library resources please contact Jo or the Education Liaison Librarian, Helen Hooper.

Personal Assistance

In this guide it is only possible to describe in general terms the services and resources available. Please ask if there are any sections of this handout you would like more fully explained or any additional help you would like.

For general help with library or computing questions, contact InfoHelp:

In person | Web Homepage | By Email | Phone 4781 5500

For Education-specific questions, Jo Kellett is the primary contact for Off-Campus students, otherwise contact Helen Hooper:
In person | Homepage | By Email | Phone 4781 4941

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If this information is inadequate, incorrect, or can be improved in any way, please let us know