Database: ERIC/FirstSearch
Search Strategy: Successive Fractions
Initial Question: What techniques are effective in developing successful book clubs for children?
Rationale: For the first of four searching competencies, I decided to begin with a database I was familiar with, ERIC/FirstSearch. After revising the initial question I had been using in the past, I looked through the search strategies available for use and chose the successive fractions strategy specifically because it is described as a good technique to use if you're not sure there are many resources available on the topic. Not having received many results on my previous searches with a question that was also related to book clubs for children, I felt that this would be a logical strategy to begin with.
Key Terms/Facets:
In previously searching for thesaurus terms on the ERIC database, I received no results with the facet 'book clubs,' so with this search, I separated 'book clubs' into two separate facets in order to receive results.
Key Terms or Facets | techniques | book | clubs | children |
My Initial Terms | ▪strategies | ▪literature ▪text | ▪groups | ▪kids ▪elementary students |
ERIC Thesaurus Terms | ▪methods ▪teaching methods | ▪literature ▪books ▪childrens literature ▪adolescent literature ▪reading materials | ▪clubs ▪youth clubs ▪peer groups | ▪adolescents ▪elementary school students ▪youth |
Facet Retrieval Results:
I performed a Subject Search on each facet phrase to determine which facet produced the greatest number of results, as this would be my starting facet following the successive fractions strategy.
Facet Phrase Searched | Records Retrieved |
(methods OR teaching methods) | 169, 082 |
(literature OR books OR childrens literature OR adolescent literature OR reading materials) | 60, 896 |
(clubs OR youth clubs OR peer groups) | 4,293 |
(adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth) | 86, 594 |
Narrowing the Search Results:
According to the successive fractions strategy, you should start with the facet that produces the largest number of results, and then narrow by adding a second facet. You should continue gradually adding unique facets to refine the search results. In following this strategy, I completed the following succession of searches.
Search 1 (Subject Search):
(methods OR teaching methods) AND (adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth)
Records Retrieved: 7,154
Reflection: This search was overwhelmingly broad and produced more results than could be scanned through. Basically, any record related to teaching elementary school was retrieved by this search, and the search obviously needed to be refined to produce more pertinent results.
Search 2 (Subject Search):
(methods OR teaching methods) AND (adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth) AND (literature OR books OR childrens literature OR adolescent literature OR reading materials)
Records Retrieved: 413
Reflection: This search produced results that were greatly narrowed from the first search, but was still too broad to retrieve resources pertinent to my initial question. The records retrieved through this search primarily focused on teaching reading to elementary students, which was still not exactly what I was looking for.
Search 3 (Subject Search):
(methods OR teaching methods) AND (adolescents OR elementary school students OR youth) AND (literature OR books OR childrens literature OR adolescent literature OR reading materials) AND (clubs OR youth clubs OR peer groups)
Records Retrieved: 3
Reflection: Though this search produced the fewest results, all three results were pertinent to the initial question. While each resource focused on a different elementary school student demographic rather than children in general, they all had information and techniques on establishing successful book clubs, which would be useful gathering information on my initial question.
Pertinent Records Citations:
Center for the Learning and Teaching of Elementary Subjects, Institute for Research on Teaching. (1992). Moving literature-based instruction into the special education setting: A book club with nontraditional learners. East Lansing, MI: Goatley, V.J., & Raphael, T.E.
McMahon, S., & Goatley, V.J. (1995). Fifth graders helping peers discuss texts in student-led groups. Journal of Educational Research, 89(1), 23 - 24.
Wallace Foundation. (2009). Effective and promising summer learning programs and approaches for economically-disadvantaged children and youth: A white paper for the Wallace Foundation. New York, NY: Terzian, M., Moore, K.A., & Hamilton, K.
Conclusion: I found the successive fractions strategy useful in eventually producing a few pertinent results; however, it took several searches to narrow the retrieved records enough to find records pertaining to my initial question. If instead of beginning with the broadest facet and adding one facet on at a time, I had begun with several facets, the search would have gone much quicker and produced the same results. I do see how the successive fraction strategy could be useful in searching a subject that may not have many pertinent records available and I will definitely keep it in mind during future searching.
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