Reading for academic study

Aims

1. Understand the different purposes for reading2. Review ways of helping to understand and

use the reading.

Engaging with the literature

“ A literature search is an information-gathering process in which you select subject-specific data from authoritative sources”.

Currie. D. (2005). Developing and applying study skills. CIPD. England.

Textbooks

• First port of call, but limited relevance at Post-Graduate Level.• Tend to repeat standard information.• Tend to be factual rather than critical• What book should I read? In some senses it doesn’t really matter because often they say the same thing!• Restrict your use of general textbooks

To read effectively you will need to

1. Understand meaning: deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words; relations within the sentences; implications; conceptual information e.g. comparison, purpose, cause, effect.

2. Understand relationships in the text – text structure, the value of the sentences,

3. Understand important points; distinguish the main from supporting detail; recognise unsupported claims and claims supported by evidence, fact from opinion; extracting salient points to summarise; following an argument; critically evaluating the work.

4. Reading efficiently, surveying the text, skimming for the general impression, scanning to locate specific information quickly.

5. Note taking.

Initial advice

You cannot read every word of every book or journal

You need to scan the library to find the correct shelves. Get to know where your module books live on the shelves, the classification numbers.Use contents pages, indexes and abstractsSkim chapters first to establish usefulness Establish usefulness by understanding the assignment brief or the key issues of a topicRead in detail when you have found something you think relevant.

Strategies for reading

Think about the reasons for reading:

1. You are interested because it is about your subject or related to it

2. You want background information or detailed information3. You want to know what the writer’s views are4. You are going to have a discussion5. You are going to write and essay or report on the subject

Look at the title, headline, any sub headings photos or illustrations, use these to predict what the text will about

Think about what you already know on the topic write down what you want answers to, what you want to find

out from the text.

Reading strategies (Levin 2004)

1. Exploratory: summarising a publication, gaining an overall appreciation of it.

2. Dedicated reading: working your way through a book or article which you have to master for assessment.

3. Targeted reading; Finding something specific for assignment, a presentation, an exam

4. Can’t stop/won’t stop: Compulsive reading, engrossed in a book and can’t put it down, maybe more fun than the task but it can be time consuming and just puts off doing the task.

Efficient reading strategies

Scanning (seeking particular words or phrases relevant to your task) Skimming (reading quickly to check main points)Then detailed readingBe purposeful and focused.

Having selected a chapter or article which you believe to be relevant read it as quickly as you can, then re-read smaller sections more thoroughly.Look away from the section material and try to briefly recall or summarise the key things you have read, you could note these in your own words. Review: have you identified the main issues, have you answered your questions/raised others, are you able to make sense of your notes, know what the chapter/section or article is about and how it helps you?

Exercise

You have each got a piece of reading

Read and write down what you think the main ideas areWhat is your first reaction to the text, is it interesting, informative, interesting, well argued, illogical, accurate

Make a second reading note or mark any new words that are important for your understanding of the main idea and any subsidiary ideas. Are there new words you need to find out their meaning?

Find the other people in the class who have the same text and compare your ideas and notes.

Understanding Conceptual meaning

Writers use language to analyse, to describe, to report, to define, to instruct, to classify, to compare, to give examples, to give reasons, to argue for or against, to discuss, to give cause and effect, and to draw conclusions.

You need to understand these functions to recognise them in a text and to know which you need at the time.

WORDS:

Describe (more generally used for undergraduate work but can be a useful activity. What does it mean?

Analyse or Analysis: “the action of taking something apart in order to study it.”

Evaluate: “the systematic determination of merit, worth and significance of someone or something”.

Prescription: using evidence and argument to advocate

Synthesis

“Puts parts of together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure. Compiles information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing an alternative solution.” (http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/crit.htm)

Or

“Blend information from many sources; determine which information ‘fits together’”(http://www.esc.edu/esconline/)

Critical thinking: “a mental process of analysing or evaluating information”, “a process of reflecting upon the meaning of statements, examining the offered evidence and reasoning and forming judgements about the facts”

Critical thinking:

“Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do”. (Norris & Ennis 1989 cited in Fisher 2008)

“Critical thinking is skilled and active interpretation and evaluation of observations and communications, information and argumentation.” (Fisher & Scriven 1997:21 cited in Fisher 2008)

Critical Thinking Skills: A Fisher 2008. adapted from Glaser 1941.

a) Recognise problemsb) Find workable means for meeting these problemsc) Gather and marshal pertinent informationd) Recognise unstated assumptions and valuese) Comprehend and use language with accuracy, clarity and

discriminationf) Interpret datag) Appraise evidence and evaluate statementsh) Recognise the existence of logistical relationships between

propositionsi) Draw warranted conclusions and generalisationsj) Test those generalisations and conclusionsk) Reconstruct one’s patterns of belief based on this wider viewl) Make accurate judgements about specifics in everyday life.

So you have all this information available? Evaluating your material

• How recent is the item• Is the item likely to have been superseded• Is the context sufficiently different to make it marginal to your research objectives.• Have you seen references to this article in others you have read.• Does the item support or contradict your argument.• Does the item appear to be biased.• What are the methodological omissions from the work.• Is the precision sufficient.

Currie (2005)

To synthesize you need to identify the argument(s), the proof(s).

Academic argument: is a calm process, it uses impersonal, logical reasons and evidence to make a point. The purpose is to analyze, then synthesise an issue or situation in order to make a case for your point of view, to convince the reader of the truth of something.

Academic argument has 2 elements:1. An assertion e.g. that: X is better than Y

Noise in an office can affect people’s workThe world is flat.

2. Proof e.g. evidence to show the ‘truth’ of your argument.

The role of argument

Deductive argument: whereby you provide logical conclusive support or evidence for the conclusion.

Example:All dogs have fleesBowser is a dogSo Bowser has flees. ( a valid argument)

Example:

All dogs are mammalsAll cows are mammalsTherefore all dogs are cows (an invalid argument)

Two types of argument:

Inductive Arguments

These are presented to provide probable not conclusive support for its conclusion.

A strong argument has a higher probability of being true than a weak argument.Example of strong arguments:Most dogs have fleesTherefore, Bowser, my dog, probably has flees.

98% of humans are mortalSocrates is humanTherefore Socrates is likely to be mortal.

To produce good work whether based on deductive or inductive argument you need to assess the credibility of the debates, the research, the basis on which you are making your case.

Critical Evaluation

To evaluate academic material you need criteria against which to test the work.

You might comment negatively on an author’s work by suggesting that the arguments presented are not supported by the evidence, the views presented are incorrect, too much based on opinion, not necessarily or unlikely to be true, doubts can be raised by the type of research used to create the arguments. there are disadvantages, it is too focused on one aspect of the situation, it does not draw on enough research, it has not drawn on particular relevant research, it shows a lack of knowledge in an area.

Positive comments might focus on suggestions that seem correct, the argument follows similar lines you have read elsewhere, it has advantages, the favourable evidence is well presented,

Common Criticisms of assignments:

See hand out Payne and Whittaker (2006) 2nd Ed. Developing Essential Study Skills FT/ Prentice-Hall

Discuss.

References

http://www.eafap.com/reading

Levin P (2007) Write Great Essays. Open University

Payne E Whittaker L (2006) 2nd Ed Developing Essential Study Skills Harlow FT/Prentice-Hall