I search
I-searchWhat I Knew and What I Did Not Know
From this research project I wanted to learn more about the I-Search paper, what resources (if any)
existed on the internet, and what successes or failures teachers encountered when teaching the
I-Search. I had some familiarity with the term "I-Search," but since I do not read professional
journals as much as I should read them I did not know what it was and to what extent teachers were
using this type of writing. I knew I could find some information on the World Wide Web, but my
primarily interest was locating examples of I-Search papers and models for teaching it. I did locate a
site, a type of bulletin board, where teachers posted their comments regarding their experiences.
Unfortunately, I did not record that site's location and I have since been unable to find it again.
I am glad I researched this topic. I have learned much about the benefits of teaching the I-Search.
Also, researching the internet for as much information possible on this topic gave me additional
practice in utilizing the World Wide Web more efficiently. Although I do not believe all teachers will
ever convert exclusively to the I-Search paper, a radical move that would not be educationally
prudent, I am convinced the I-Search is an effective alternative to traditional research papers. In fact
if the instructor chooses it can co-exist in a writing course with traditional, formal papers as an
example of another style of writing. In the following sections I will not attempt to define the I-Search,
but I will discuss some of my impressions and observations. Then I will discuss the research.
What I Learned
A positive ramification many educators noticed when they taught the I-Search is students are truly
interested in their subjects. They enjoy discussing their topic when they can write about it in a less
formal, less threatening voice. This is not to say students do not follow some conventional rules of
standard English. The I-Search allows the rules to become secondary to researching information that
is interesting and exciting to the students. Students want to tell the teacher what they learned. The
differences between the traditional research paper and the I-Search are minimal. The principal
difference is in the structure. Students can personalize their finding by using the pronoun "I." Whether
it is the I-Search paper or a formal paper, students research for information; they continually ask
questions about their topic to uncover more information. Since students take more ownership of their
topic, the I-Search motivates students to research for themselves not to satisfy the requirements of
proving a thesis correct. In other words, students research because they simply want to learn more
about something.
These ideas should not be unique to any teacher who has witnessed students spending hours reading
an automobile, electronic or shoe periodical. In any give situation, students could improvise lengthy,
detailed discussions on a sports or fashion topic because they already have the knowledge from
personal experience or self-motivated reading. Though most students could write a solid report
without ever researching, they are naturally curious and will seek out more information when a topic
interests them. Because an I-Search is less formal, the teacher does not have to assign a lengthy
minimum number of pagers just so the research can sound exhaustive. Any topic can be an I-Search
topic. Also, students are less likely to plagiarize because they do not feel compelled to "fill up white
space." All these benefits do not eliminate the necessity for a minimal amount structure and length. If
instructors do not have some guidelines then they will receive a three paragraph final draft with many
grammatical and mechanical errors.
Beginning The Research
I began my internet research by submitting general queries to the various search engines such as
Alta-Vista, Infoseek and Web Crawler. They all returned some interesting and surprising results.
By typing in "I-"Search" one search engine located a site called I-Search. Com.. This site assists
people in finding employment. Another search found a software called I-Search. I did not take the
time to learn the nature of the software. Most of the search engine produced something, but the most
effective searches where those I posed with different queries or exclusionary words. Since I knew
the ERIC databases were available on-line I went directly to that site. The ERIC search format not
only offers keyword and limiting default options , but also it offers the options of searching only their
databases or the World Wide Web plus their databases. Searching both their database and the
WWW simultaneously was cumbersome, producing some useless documents.
After my partner and I sorted through the returns the information we did save was very useful. The
best site in terms of content was the Make It Happen! site operated by Education Development
Center, Incorporated. We are not sure why this is maintained or who EDC is, but it stores much
information. The main pages briefly introduces the I-Search unit and cites Ken Macrorie and his
book. The introduction briefly summarizes a four phase plan to implement the I-Search paper, then
the next section lists a series of hyper-link icons of sub-categories such as Teacher Reflections,
Student Reflections, A Case Study of A Mini I-Search Unit ..., Cooperative Learning, and the
I-Search Process: Four Instructional Phases. I would like to add that a very helpful list of resources
is cited at the conclusion of each discussion. This information is important for further reading.
The teacher and student reflections are interesting reading. As expected, the comments are honest
and insightful, but they tend to be too positive. Why would anyone submit a negative experience
when promoting an idea? The case study of a mini unit and the four phase plan are brief, perhaps a
bit too brief form my interest. However, the teachers on this site plus the teachers from other internet
sites emphasize a successful I-Search experience should include some guidelines and planning. This
is not different from formal research paper. All the instructors have the students make a list of
questions to answer though research, then the students organize their paper around these questions
rather than trying to incorporate the questions into the exposition of a formal expository paper. The
abstracted examples of I-Search research from this site are helpful in learning about this type of
writing.
My partner found, by accident, the site that offered the most useful information of I-Search papers,
which include several finished examples. This site is the department of English's English 1
homepage at Golden Gate University. Instructors J. Browning and A. Dietrich have posted their
course syllabi which includes the timelines and requirements for the I-Search paper. This site assisted
me the most because I could see papers on different topics and see for myself how each writer
approached the topic and what that writer wanted to accomplish. It is clear to see an I-Search
paper has evidence of research and a format. Teachers concerned these elements of writing are
ignored in this type of document will be relieved to know they are not . What makes the I-Search
papers relevant is that they are enjoyable to read. These students were obviously interested in their
subject and enjoyed writing about it. And, since they did not have to prove any thesis or try to sound
scholarly, they wrote in a natural voice for a common reading audience, not an academic one. The
papers were not filled with loose slang, mechanical errors, or other poor writing conventions. As
with any graded or published writing attention to these elements comes at the end of the writing
process.
Other internet sites we utilized were the ERIC databases and a site where a few English Journal
documents are stored. Since we are writing an informal I-Search paper, we did not locate the
hardcopy of the ERIC abstracts. The abstract summaries provided enough information to indicate
many teachers are using the I-Search paper and have had some success with it. I did not realized
how many teachers felt this type of paper was beneficial because it fit into internet research. The
I-Search paper assisted students by teaching them how to use the internet as a resource tool. When
I have the time I might read the articles in their entirety. Another document I found discussed using
interviews as the primary research method in I-Search papers. Teachers in previous document also
emphasized this point. Ken Macrorie recommends using interviews as primary sources because he
believes they are more valid than secondary sources. My partner located two English Journal
articles. One yet again explained the useful connection between the internet and this type of
document, the other document mainly consisted of quotes and commentary by teachers who have
used the I-Search in their classroom. The second document looked similar to the text on the site I
located earlier but was unable to find again.
Summary
We uncovered many sites that included the term "I-Search" in the text but most of those were course
syllabi or reports that said "we used the I-Search method." This project was valuable to me. I not
only learned about a writing tool of which I was unfamiliar, but also I learned how to use it, and I
have ready-made example to show my students. This project also forced me to learn how to
efficiently use search engines to locate relevant material from the World Wide Web. I uncovered
sites I can visit again and I made contacts with people who will assist my teaching of writing should I
need their help in the future.