Are you ready kids?
Aye aye captain.
I can’t hear you!
AYE AYE CAPTAIN
Oohhhhh…
I am sorry if this crushes your dream, but we are not really going on a physical adventure. BUT we are going to be talking about my adventures of researching again. As much as I hate to annoy you with this again, I think I just have a few bones to pick with some so called “experts” on the topic of learning approaches.
Some educators believe the undergraduate students do not value archival materials nearly enough to realize the positive effect it will have on their research. For example, in the article, “Introducing Undergraduate Students to Archives and Special Cases,” Greg claims that “undergraduate students seldom utilize primary source materials located in departments of archives and special collections, primarily due to lack of understanding of what an archive has to offer and how it is used.”
So in other words, he is basically saying students don’t know what to do with archives because they are just a bunch of crybabies. And honestly, I think he is a drama queen because he is seriously over exaggerating to claim: the students do not use archival sources because they do not know anything. So, I assume that he believes students, as a whole, are incapable of archival research.
(@Greg)
But you know what, he is WRONG. He is literally neglecting to consider that some students do have the skills necessary for archival research, yet they might choose not to utilize archives…not many research projects are going to require or need archival information.
As you already know, I was introduced to archives for the sole purpose of completing an archival research paper; or at least that was my initial assumption. Because archival research is a form of research that is uncommon as it provides information about a specific place, institution, or group of people, educators should tailor their instructions so that all students will benefit rather than just assuming students are incompetent regarding archival research skills.
When I learned about Santa Clara University’s archives, I was given background information as to what an archive is and how to go about my research. This was helpful as my classmates and I were not completely clueless when we physically entered SCU’s archive. Even though I had never been in an archive before, I wasn’t a crybaby and let my uncertainties negatively affect my experience.
So not to be cocky, but for all y’all who are confident in your knowledge yet do not stand up for yourselves…
