I had my first research design class last evening, and the professor suggested that one of the purposes of the class was to make us generally better consumers of educational research. We would learn to question when people discuss research. Here’s my first example of the way we reference research without really making it clear. From the Tech Tonic report of The Alliance for Childhood: “Research strongly indicates that face-to-face
relationships with people and the rest of the natural world are critical not just for young children but
for older students as well” (p. 9). But, the report does not include any references to back up this statement. What research? What reports? I am sure they exist, but without them embedded in this report, I have no way of knowing. And, the average reader who isn’t engaged in a class on research, would probably not even think twice about the lack of references. Instead, an apparent authority is telling them such research exists, and that’s probably good enough for them.