Breaking the Google Habit

A study by Alison Head and Michael Eisenberg shows some unexpected research behaviors by college students. This study involved 2,318 survey responses from college students at six different institutions. It found that they usually began a research project by looking at course readings, but their number one go-to-resource was Google. These students were likely to use the databases provided by their colleges, but they were not likely to consult a librarian for assistance.

Although there are some differences between the research habits of college and K-12 students, I think some of the findings would be the same for public schools. In my experience as a school librarian, the first stop for students doing research was to hit Google. For some students, this was their only stop!

Somewhere along the way, we are failing to help students understand that there sometimes better ways to address a research topic. A student doing research on John Steinbeck would be much better served by starting with Contemporary Authors. They could then find a biography about the author. Both of these sources would give them reliable facts about Steinbeck. Google could then be used to find some nifty tidbits, such as primary source documents, to add to their paper.

So, how do we break students of the Google habit? I don't have the answer to that one. If you do, please post below.