Question 4 - Where do you go for homework help or to do research for homework assignments?
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Teen 1: (12-year-old female) my computer or for help friends and family Teen 2: (15-year-old male) i usually dont need help on my homework but if i do i go to my teachers first, then my family, and my last resort is the computer Teen 3: (14-year-old female) At home on my computer. or the career center at manchester high school..i have done hw on the computers in there before. Teen 4: (14-year-old female) usually my mom or my teachers Teen 5: (14-year-old female) I normally ask family members for help on homework but more recently im going to be staying after school to get extra help from teachers Teen 6:(17-year-old female)For homework help I usually turn to the computer or my friends and family. My last resource would probably be the library. Teen 7:(17-year-old female) I usually ask family and friends. If I’m feeling anti-social I’ll look stuff up online or I’ve got a nice set of math books that I use occasionally because they explain stuff really well. Teen 8:(17-year-old female) I don't really need help with my homework ever. If i do, I just talk to the teacher of the class. Teen 9:(18-year-old female) for homework help i go to the bigger library in turners falls cause they have the best encylopedias to use there. Teen 10:(15-year-old female) I usually go to my friends for help to see if they get whatever were doing and to see if they can explain it to me and if they can't or i just don't get it I ask my teacher, and if i really really need help i'll ask my parents.
Amber's Analysis: Computers, friends, and family are the big homework help resources for these teens and probably many more. The library is mentioned only twice, and one of those is to say the teen would never go there. The family is convenient, the computer is all-knowing, and the friends are in their classes. How can a library even compare to any of these? Perhaps the public library shouldn't bother with homework help at all, but some are going to try anyway. If this is going to be the case then those libraries should at least go about it in the right way. For starters, libraries would need to be more convenient. Two ways of doing that include extending hours or at least staying open some evenings, and teen transportation to the library (this was suggested by a teen in question 3). Libraries would have to be more knowledgable about specific assignments and topics of study. Ongoing collaboration with teachers will keep librarians informed about teen homework needs. Libraries would also need to have the right resources to answer teen's questions. Class pathfinders and reference chat sessions are good services to start with because they are accessable online- where teens get homework help in the first place.
Laura's Analysis: I was absolutely shocked that only four of the ten teens (less than half) go to the computer for homework help. The teens would rather go to someone they trust for assistance then to the web, which makes sense and is probably at least partially due to the fact that they are constantly being told by teachers that they can't trust the accuracy of information on the web. If this is true, then why are libraries wasting their time with elaborate online pathfinders and live homework help services? It's clear that the majority of teens don't even think of the library as a place to get homework help let alone the library's website. It seems that teens are meeting their homework help needs just fine without the library, so why is it that we need to assert ourselves as a place for homework help? Instead of focusing on everyday homework help maybe we should focus on the library as a place to get together with friends to study or do homework and the strength of our non-fiction collection to support teens when they have research assignments. Most libraries have a great children's non-fiction collection and a great adult non-fiction collection, but what about the teens? More emphasis needs to be made on acquiring good quality non-fiction teen titles, which are out there, but hard to find, and making the library a comfortable and inviting space for teens to get together and collaborate.
Question 4 - Where do you go for homework help or to do research for homework assignments?
Teen 1: (12-year-old female) my computer or for help friends and family
Teen 2: (15-year-old male) i usually dont need help on my homework but if i do i go to my teachers first, then my family, and my last resort is the computer Teen 3: (14-year-old female) At home on my computer. or the career center at manchester high school..i have done hw on the computers in there before.
Teen 4: (14-year-old female) usually my mom or my teachers
Teen 5: (14-year-old female) I normally ask family members for help on homework but more recently im going to be staying after school to get extra help from teachers
Teen 6: (17-year-old female)For homework help I usually turn to the computer or my friends and family. My last resource would probably be the library.
Teen 7: (17-year-old female) I usually ask family and friends. If I’m feeling anti-social I’ll look stuff up online or I’ve got a nice set of math books that I use occasionally because they explain stuff really well.
Teen 8: (17-year-old female) I don't really need help with my homework ever. If i do, I just talk to the teacher of the class.
Teen 9: (18-year-old female) for homework help i go to the bigger library in turners falls cause they have the best encylopedias to use there.
Teen 10: (15-year-old female) I usually go to my friends for help to see if they get whatever were doing and to see if they can explain it to me and if they can't or i just don't get it I ask my teacher, and if i really really need help i'll ask my parents.
Amber's Analysis: Computers, friends, and family are the big homework help resources for these teens and probably many more. The library is mentioned only twice, and one of those is to say the teen would never go there. The family is convenient, the computer is all-knowing, and the friends are in their classes. How can a library even compare to any of these? Perhaps the public library shouldn't bother with homework help at all, but some are going to try anyway. If this is going to be the case then those libraries should at least go about it in the right way. For starters, libraries would need to be more convenient. Two ways of doing that include extending hours or at least staying open some evenings, and teen transportation to the library (this was suggested by a teen in question 3). Libraries would have to be more knowledgable about specific assignments and topics of study. Ongoing collaboration with teachers will keep librarians informed about teen homework needs. Libraries would also need to have the right resources to answer teen's questions. Class pathfinders and reference chat sessions are good services to start with because they are accessable online- where teens get homework help in the first place.
Laura's Analysis: I was absolutely shocked that only four of the ten teens (less than half) go to the computer for homework help. The teens would rather go to someone they trust for assistance then to the web, which makes sense and is probably at least partially due to the fact that they are constantly being told by teachers that they can't trust the accuracy of information on the web. If this is true, then why are libraries wasting their time with elaborate online pathfinders and live homework help services? It's clear that the majority of teens don't even think of the library as a place to get homework help let alone the library's website. It seems that teens are meeting their homework help needs just fine without the library, so why is it that we need to assert ourselves as a place for homework help? Instead of focusing on everyday homework help maybe we should focus on the library as a place to get together with friends to study or do homework and the strength of our non-fiction collection to support teens when they have research assignments. Most libraries have a great children's non-fiction collection and a great adult non-fiction collection, but what about the teens? More emphasis needs to be made on acquiring good quality non-fiction teen titles, which are out there, but hard to find, and making the library a comfortable and inviting space for teens to get together and collaborate.