EDU204: Characteristics of Learners with Disabilities: Research Tools & Tips

• Academic Search Premier:  Includes many scholarly and full text articles. Has many full text, scholarly articles on education and other subjects.
  
  

• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center):  Limits to articles on education. Advanced Search allows limiting by level (ie. Early Childhood, specific grade levels, etc.).  ERIC is a specialized education database with informative abstracts, but many articles are not full-text.
• Use "Full-Text from ERIC" link if provided.
• If not, use red "Find It" button to check other databases.
  
• If no other databases have that publication, select From another library to request Interlibrary Loan (free).
  
• Important note (10/8/2013): Due to the federal government shutdown, some parts of ERIC are unavailable. Database searching features are functioning but the “full-text from ERIC” links will NOT work. Interlibrary loan is an option for requesting some articles. If you need assistance, contact a librarian at the Reference Desk or via http://www.dbq.edu/library/askus/
  
  

 Tips:  You can limit to peer-reviewed sources or full-text articles by checking the boxes to the left of the search results. (Or use the Advanced Search, linked above).

The search box below searches many databases at once, so it's a good place to start but you'll need to narrow down your topic.

As a practicing teacher, are you going to have to write a research paper like you do as a college student?  Probably not.  But how will you use those research skills?  Evidence-based practice!  That means applying teaching methods that have been proven to work!

Research also helps you develop advanced reading & analyzing skills--we want to encourage critical thinking for our students, so we should expect it of ourselves, right?

Here are some great evidence-based practice resources:

• What Works Clearinghouse: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
• Doing What Works: http://dww.ed.gov/
• Promising Practices Network (education & beyond): http://www.promisingpractices.net/