1. How do you
define
research?

2. How do your
students define
research?

3. What skills or
processes do your
students struggle
with when doing
guided or
independent
research projects?

4. What skills or
processes do your
students do well when
doing guided or
independent research
projects?

5. What research tools do your students use most? How
does that compare to the results of this survey from
the Pew Research Center study of November 2012?

6. How would you rate/assess your
students’ abilities in these skills?
Which of these skills do you feel are
most important for students to learn?

7. How do your students
evaluate sources of
information? How do
they learn to do so?

9. What are the challenges
or obstacles you face in
teaching/facilitating
research projects?

10. How do these results compare
to the way research
instruction/strategies look in
your school/grade level?

11. Who do you
work with when
planning,
implementing,
and assessing
research
projects?

12. What kinds of
requirements
do you typically
include in a
research
project?

13. What qualities/
elements are
needed for an
effective,
meaningful
research
assignment?

14. Which of these do you feel frustrates
your students the most when they do
research?
"Finding Context: What Today's College Student Say about Conducting Research in the Digital
Age," Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg, Project Information Literacy Progress Report, University
of Washington's Information School, February 4, 2009 (18 pages, PDF, 864 KB).

15. "Learning the Ropes: How Freshmen Conduct Course Research Once They Enter College," Alison
J. Head, Project Information Literacy Research Report, December 4, 2013. (Two different versions
available: Text with appendices, 48 pages, 6.2 MB or text without appendices, 35 pages, 5.8MB).
Which of these skills do you think your
students find difficult? Which of these skills
do you feel are moderately easy for your
students?

16. What problems have you
encountered with
independent research
projects? What successes
have you experienced with
independent research
projects?

17. Do students work together
in pairs or small groups
during their research
experience? If so, how? If
not, why?