PowerPoint Presentations: A Creative Addition to the Research Process

Abstract

For twenty-three years I have taught my students how to write research papers. However, I often find the process of student research to be frustrating. Many students are reluctant to undertake such an enormous project that requires them to be capable of forming a thesis or guiding statement or actually articulating a question for their research, finding the necessary information in a variety of sources, judiciously selecting the material best suited to their needs and reading that material, and then writing a paper that follows a prescribed style and supports that thesis or answers the original question. Too often, students procrastinate starting their research papers until it is too late to adequately complete the process. Some students simply choose not to write the paper, even if it means failing a class. Many are perplexed by the requirements of a style sheet such as MLA or APA. Another frustration is that, while it takes several weeks to teach students how to do a research paper and for them to write the paper, they learn only about the one topic they are researching and about how to do research. They seldom have the opportunity to share the information on their topics with their classmates. In an attempt to make research a more pleasant and stimulating experience for my students, I added the requirement that they complete a PowerPoint presentation on their topic three weeks before turning in their research paper. I believed that this use of technology and cooperative learning in working together, helping one another prepare the presentations, would be an enjoyable experience and that it would prompt my students to get started sooner on the research process than if they only wrote the research paper. Presenting information on their topic of study to their classmates would sharpen students' presentation and public speaking skills, and everyone would learn at least a little about each of the topics covered. My decision to add a technological component to research is based on the proliferation of reports on such projects in professional literature. Such assignments provide valuable life skills for students (Fabry and Higgs, Marr). Theorists such as Gardner, Smagorinsky, and Wilson and Castner claim that the creation of technology projects helps students to learn through multiple intelligences. Freeman says that multimedia presentations also

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