Zach Sanders

Leslie Drake
Research Techniques
3-29-2016

Books

Biddle, Bruce J., and David C. Berliner. Schools and Society: A Sociological Approach to
Education. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

C - The information was published in 2015 and to my knowledge has not been updated. The
topic I am researching will require current information and older information due to the changes
in technology. Some classrooms with no or outdated technology the older information will be
useful whereas classrooms with newer technology will need the most current information. I did
not include any functional links.

R - This information is relevant to my topic and addresses key points I will use in my research
paper. I believe the intended audience is school administration and faculty. This information is
within the right academic range for the research I am doing.I did not have time to sift through the

number of sources I would have liked to due to time restrictions. This source is credible and I
would cite it in a research paper.

A - Bruce Biddle and David Berliner are both authors several text books. These authors have
written on several different educational topics and I believe them to be highly qualified for this
book. There was no way to contact the author and the url was not helpful in revealing anything
about the source or author.

A - The information is pulled from several tests and past research. The information is is factual
based on the test that they used when compiling their book. To my knowledge the information
has been reviewed by others that are highly respected in the field. The information can be backed
by other sources. It seems unbiased and professionally written.

P - The purpose of this book is to teach others. The purpose was clear to me and the information
was factual. The point was straightforward and easy to comprehend there seemed to be no biases
in the book.

4 - This book is helpful but also contains information about several things not related to my
research.

Articles

1. Kutcher, Peter Fred. "The Relationship Between Class Size and Student Achievement."
(1969): 1-120. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

C - The information was published in 1969 and to my knowledge has not been updated, but
similar test have been done. The topic I am researching will require current information and
older information due to the changes in technology. Some classrooms with no or outdated
technology the older information will be useful whereas classrooms with newer technology will
need the most current information. I did not include any functional links.

R - This information is relevant to my topic and addresses key points I will use in my research
paper. The intended audience is the faculty of graduate studies. The article is in the appropriate
range for my research. I did not have time to sift through the number of sources I would have
liked to due to time restrictions. This source is credible and I would cite it in a research paper.

A - Peter Kutcher is a graduate of The University of Manitoba. Other credentials could not be
found. There was no way to contact the author and the url was not helpful in revealing anything
about the source or author.

A - This information was gathered from test ran on 6,585 students from 261 classes of 140
different schools. The information is factual based on the tests that were done. The test have been
replicated before.

P - This article was written to inform readers with factual evidence. The purpose was clear and
did not seem objective. There were no biases in this article.

4 - This article was very well written and provided a lot of information.

2. Krueger, Alan B., and Diane M. Whitmore. "THE EFFECT OF ATTENDING A SMALL
CLASS IN THE EARLY GRADES ON COLLEGE-TEST TAKING AND MIDDLE
SCHOOL TEST RESULTS." NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES (2000): 1-44. Web. 29
Mar. 2016.

C - The information was published in 2000 and to my knowledge has not been updated. The
topic I am researching will require current information and older information due to the changes
in technology. Some classrooms with no or outdated technology the older information will be
useful whereas classrooms with newer technology will need the most current information. I did
not include any functional links.

R - This information is relevant to my topic it will help me display the effects of transferring
from small classes to larger college classes. The intended audience is anyone who may be
concerned with the transition from a small high school to college. The article is in the appropriate

range for my research. I did not have time to sift through the number of sources I would have
liked to due to time restrictions. This source is credible and I would cite it in a research paper.

A - Krueger and Whitmore have both published for the academic world before. They are
affiliated by with the National Bureau of Economic Research. I believe they are both qualified to
write on the subject. They had no contact information available.

A - The authors credited Helen Pate and Jayne Boyd for providing them with data and answering
questions. The information is factual and was taken from several different data bases. The
information can be verified in different articles and was professionally written.

P - The purpose of this article is to show the difference in test scores based on class sizes in the
early years of school. The purpose of this article was clear. I believe the majority of the article is
factual with some opinion. There is no biases because the information presented is raw data.

4 - This article was written as an economic paper, but will work very well for the points I need in
my paper.

Websites

1.Jenkins, Jill. "Class Size: How Does It Affect Learning?" Edutopia. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

C - The information was posted in 2014. It has not been revised or updated. The topic I am
researching will require current information and older information due to the changes in
technology. Some classrooms with no or outdated technology the older information will be
useful whereas classrooms with newer technology will need the most current information. I did
not include any functional links.

R - The article relates to my topic in many ways. The intended audience is the general populace.
The information is on the lower side of appropriate yet still worth using. I looked at a couple
other source, but felt when using an opinionated paper who better than someone that he seen the
results first hand.

A - Jill Jenkins is a school teacher with several years of first hand experience. I believe she is
qualified to talk on the subject even though this is not an academic paper. There was no contact
information and it was found on a .com website.

A - The information in this article comes from first hand experience. It has not been reviewed but
some of the information can be supported in other articles. The language seems a bit biased, yet
professional.

P - This article was written to inform, the purpose is clear. The information is mainly opinion, but
factual evidence supports some of the claims. There seems to be a personal biases int his article.

3 - I believe though this is not an academic article having the opinion of someone who see the
results first hand will be useful

2. Higgins, John. "Does Class Size Matter? Research Reveals Surprises." The Seattle Times.
2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

C - The information was posted in 2014. It has not been revised or updated. The topic I am
researching will require current information and older information due to the changes in
technology. Some classrooms with no or outdated technology the older information will be
useful whereas classrooms with newer technology will need the most current information. I did
not include any functional links.

R - The article relates to my topic in many ways. The intended audience is the general populace.
The information is appropriate I looked at a couple other source, but felt this was the best one.

A - The author John Higgins is a writer for The Seattle Times. I feel as a journalist he may not be
qualified to write on the subject, but he is qualified to find information that is presentable about
the subject. There was no contact information with the writer.

A - The information in this article comes from no clear source. However, it can be supported by
evidence and be found in other articles. The language is unbiased and it is professionally written.

P - This article was written to inform, the purpose is clear. The information is mainly factual but
most likely has a political bias that could possible skew the information.

3 - I believe that the article well help quite a bit, but I believe there are better sources out there.