The following review appeared
in:
Education Libraries, 24 (2/3), 2000
Reviewed by Marlene Giguere
Anyone who has struggled to motivate students who are only marginally interested in learning information skills will appreciate the many real-life accounts presented in this volume. The authors state in the preface that they offer "a way to enhance existing models (of information skills instruction) with an overlay of motivational techniques and strategies." As reflected in the title, this work focuses on the importance of student motivation throughout the research process and provides techniques and strategies tailored to specific stages of that research. As to audience, the authors are primarily addressing library media specialists with some experience in teaching information skills. These readers will best appreciate the successes and failures described in the book and find detailed advice and true-to-life solutions to challenging situations.
Drawing on their combined academic and applied experience, the authors present a mix of theory and practice. The middle chapters of their work are replete with practical advice and tactics while the first and last chapters provide a theoretical framework. In the first chapter the authors present their "motivational overlay for information skills instruction" which forms the foundation of the book. Chapter 1 begins with an overview of several information problem-solving models currently used in information skills teaching models. Based on these models, the authors formulate three broad generic research stages, each of which is further divided into categories of information skills. Secondly, the authors describe a number of key motivational theories with elements applicable to the design of lessons in information skills. Mindful of the importance of students' attitudes and their changing needs as they progress through research, they link these two distinct elements through the creation of a motivation overlay for information skills instruction. This overlay assists in the selection and application of a variety of motivational techniques appropriate at specific stages of the research process. Chapters 2 through 4 deal with the three main stages, essentially the beginning stages, the middle, and the completion of the research. The final chapter provides an overall review and links this approach with a constructivist learning environment.
To fully convey the nature of this work, it is necessary to examine a specific example of how the overlay functions. The authors have divided the research process into three main stages. The first or beginning stage is subdivided into three information skills: definition, selection, and planning. Motivational goals, applicable to these skills, are identified. In this particular case, an example of a goal is confidence building in research ability. This specific goal is refined into motivational techniques such as providing an appropriate level of challenge, clarifying expectations, and offering a supportive environment. The authors then provided various examples of how these motivational techniques have been applied in the definition, selection and/or planning stages of the initial research.
A number of techniques are employed to reinforce and illustrate the book's main points. Motivational moments and motivational makeovers are real-life accounts from practitioners on their experiences. Additional features include chapter review questions, tabular and graphic displays, as well as chapter bibliographies.
In conclusion, this book provides useful techniques and examples of how to successfully launch student research projects and how to keep them on track until completion. It can be especially useful to consult for fresh ideas to intervene at a specific moment in the research process. Although high school library examples are included, the majority of concrete examples are drawn from elementary and middle school libraries.
Marlene Giguere is a former Associate Professor in Library Studies
at Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada. Her articles on the topic of
the Internet appeared in previous editions of Education Libraries and she was
Acting Co-Editor for Vol. 18, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 of this journal. She now resides
in Georgia, USA. E-mail: giguere@bellsouth.net