NCVLM8Lk 1, 2012

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finds that teens research habits are .8,-64-6 4- 28' +4642,0 ,6'

kr|sten urce||
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Lee ka|n|e
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A|an neaps
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Iudy 8uchanan
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L|nda Ir|edr|ch
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C|ara Chen
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kathryn 2|ckuhr
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ew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project
1613 L SL., nW SulLe 700
WashlngLon, u.C. 20036
hone: 202-419-4300

http:]]pew|nternet.org]keports]2012]Student-kesearch
pew| nt er net . or g 2



!"##$%& () *+,-+,./
1hree-quarLers of A and nW Leachers say LhaL Lhe lnLerneL and dlglLal search Lools have had a
mostly positive impact on their students research habits, but 87% say these technologies are creating
an easily distracted generation with short attention spans and 64% say todays digital technologies do
more to distract students than to help them academically.
1hese complex and aL Llmes conLradlcLory [udgmenLs emerge from 1) an onllne survey of more
Lhan 2,000 mlddle and hlgh school Leachers drawn from Lhe Advanced lacemenL (A) and naLlonal
WrlLlng ro[ecL (nW) communlLles, and 2) a serles of onllne and offllne focus groups wlLh mlddle and
hlgh school Leachers and some of Lhelr sLudenLs. 1he sLudy was deslgned Lo explore Leachers views of
the ways todays digital environment ls shaplng Lhe research and wrlLlng hablLs of mlddle and hlgh
school sLudenLs. 8ulldlng on Lhe ew lnLerneL ro[ecLs prior work abouL how people use Lhe lnLerneL
and, especlally, Lhe lnformaLlon-saLuraLed dlglLal llves of Leens, Lhls research looks aL Leachers
experlences and observaLlons abouL how Lhe rlse of dlglLal maLerlal affecLs Lhe research skllls of todays
sLudenLs.

Cverall, Leachers who parLlclpaLed ln Lhls sLudy characLerlze the impact of todays digital envlronmenL
on Lhelr sLudenLs research habits and skills as mosLly poslLlve, yeL mulLl-faceLed and noL wlLhouL
drawbacks. Among Lhe more poslLlve lmpacLs Lhey see: Lhe besL sLudenLs access a greaLer depLh and
breadLh of lnformaLlon on Loplcs LhaL lnLeresL Lhem, sLudenLs can Lake advanLage of Lhe avallablllLy of
educaLlonal maLerlal ln engaglng mulLlmedla formaLs, and many become more self-rellanL researchers.

AL Lhe same Llme, Lhese Leachers [uxLapose Lhese beneflLs agalnsL some emerglng concerns.
Speclflcally, some Leachers worry abouL students overdependence on search englnes, Lhe dlfflculLy
many sLudenLs have [udglng Lhe quallLy of onllne lnformaLlon; the general level of literacy of todays
sLudenLs, lncreaslng dlsLracLlons pulllng aL sLudenLs and poor Llme managemenL skllls; students
poLenLlally dlmlnlshed crlLlcal Lhlnklng capaclLy, and Lhe ease wlLh whlch todays sLudenLs can borrow
from Lhe work of oLhers.

1hese Leachers reporL LhaL sLudenLs rely malnly on search englnes Lo conducL research, ln lleu of oLher
resources such as onllne daLabases, Lhe news slLes of respecLed news organlzaLlons, prlnLed books, or
reference llbrarlans.

Cverall, Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of Lhese Leachers say a top priority in todays classrooms should be Leachlng
sLudenLs how to judge Lhe quallLy of onllne lnformaLlon. As a resulL, a slgnlflcanL porLlon of Lhe
Leachers surveyed here reporL spendlng class Llme dlscusslng wlLh sLudenLs how search englnes work,
how Lo assess Lhe rellablllLy of Lhe lnformaLlon Lhey flnd onllne, and how Lo lmprove Lhelr search skllls.
1hey also spend Llme consLrucLlng asslgnmenLs LhaL polnL sLudenLs Loward Lhe besL onllne resources
and encourage Lhe use of sources oLher Lhan search englnes.

pew| nt er net . or g 3



1hese are among Lhe maln flndlngs of an onllne survey of a non-probablllLy sample of 2,462 mlddle and
hlgh school Leachers currenLly Leachlng ln Lhe u.S., uerLo 8lco and Lhe u.S. vlrgln lslands, conducLed
beLween March 7 and Aprll 23, 2012. Some 1,730 of Lhe Leachers are drawn from a sample of advanced
placemenL (A) hlgh school Leachers, whlle Lhe remalnlng 712 are from a sample of naLlonal WrlLlng
ro[ecL Leachers. Survey flndlngs are complemenLed by lnslghLs from a serles of onllne and ln-person
focus groups wlLh mlddle and hlgh school Leachers and sLudenLs ln grades 9-12, conducLed beLween
november, 2011 and lebruary, 2012.

1hls parLlcular sample ls qulLe dlverse geographlcally, by sub[ecL maLLer LaughL, and by school slze and
communlLy characLerlsLlcs. But it skews towards cutting edge educaLors who Leach some of Lhe mosL
academlcally successful sLudenLs ln Lhe counLry. 1hus, Lhe flndlngs reporLed here reflecL Lhe reallLles of
Lhelr speclal place ln Amerlcan educaLlon, and are noL necessarlly represenLaLlve of all Leachers ln all
schools. AL Lhe same Llme, Lhese flndlngs are especlally powerful glven LhaL these teachers observations
and [udgmenLs emerge from some of the nations mosL advanced classrooms.
012 +,32%,23 $,- -+.+3$4 3251,(4(.+2/ $%2 /+.,+)+5$,34& +#6$53+,. 1(7 /3"-2,3/
5(,-"53 %2/2$%51: 77% of these teachers say the overall impact is mostly
positive, but they sound many cautionary notes
Asked Lo assess the overall impact of the internet and digital technologies on students research habits,
77 of Lhese Leachers say lL has been mostly positive. ?eL, when asked lf Lhey agree or dlsagree wlLh
speclflc asserLlons abouL how Lhe lnLerneL ls lmpacLlng students research, Lhelr vlews are decldedly
mlxed.

Cn Lhe more encouraglng slde, vlrLually all (99) A and nW Leachers ln Lhls sLudy agree wlLh Lhe
noLlon LhaL Lhe lnLerneL enables sLudenLs Lo access a wlder range of resources Lhan would oLherwlse be
avallable, and 63 also agree that the internet makes todays students more self-sufflclenL researchers.

AL Lhe same Llme, 76 of Leachers surveyed sLrongly agree wlLh Lhe asserLlon LhaL lnLerneL search
englnes have condlLloned sLudenLs Lo expecL Lo be able Lo flnd lnformaLlon qulckly and easlly. Large
ma[orlLles also agree wlLh Lhe asserLlon LhaL Lhe amounL of lnformaLlon avallable onllne Loday ls
overwhelmlng Lo most students (83%) and that todays digital technologies discourage students from
uslng a wlde range of sources when conducLlng research (71). lewer Leachers, buL sLlll a ma[orlLy of
Lhls sample (60), agree with the assertion that todays technologies make lL harder for sLudenLs Lo flnd
credlble sources of lnformaLlon.
The internet has changed the very meaning of research
erhaps Lhe greaLesL lmpacL Lhls group of Leachers sees todays digital environment havlng on sLudenL
research hablLs ls Lhe degree Lo whlch lL has changed Lhe very naLure of research and whaL lL means Lo
do research. 1eachers and sLudenLs allke reporL LhaL for todays students, research means
Googling. As a resulL, some Leachers reporL LhaL for Lhelr sLudenLs doing research has shlfLed from a
relaLlvely slow process of lnLellecLual curloslLy and dlscovery Lo a fasL-paced, shorL-Lerm exerclse almed
pew| nt er net . or g 4



aL locaLlng [usL enough lnformaLlon Lo compleLe an asslgnmenL.

1hese percepLlons are evldenL ln teachers survey responses: 94 of Lhe Leachers surveyed say Lhelr
sLudenLs are very llkely Lo use Coogle or oLher onllne search englnes ln a Lyplcal research asslgnmenL,
placlng lL well ahead of all oLher sources LhaL we asked abouL. Second and Lhlrd on Lhe llsL of frequenLly
used sources are onllne encyclopedlas such as Wlklpedla, and soclal medla slLes such as ?ou1ube. ln
descendlng order, Lhe sources Leachers ln our survey say students are very likely to use in a typical
research asslgnmenL:

Coogle or oLher onllne search englne (94)
Wlklpedla or oLher onllne encyclopedla (73)
?ou1ube or oLher soclal medla slLes (32)
1helr peers (42)
Spark noLes, Cllff noLes, or oLher sLudy guldes (41)
news slLes of ma[or news organlzaLlons (23)
rlnL or elecLronlc LexLbooks (18)
Cnllne daLabases such as L8SCC, !S1C8, or Croller (17)
A research llbrarlan aL Lhelr school or publlc llbrary (16)
rlnLed books oLher Lhan LexLbooks (12)
SLudenL-orlenLed search englnes such as SweeL Search (10)

ln response Lo Lhls Lrend, many Leachers say Lhey shape research asslgnmenLs Lo address whaL Lhey feel
can be their students overdependence on search englnes and onllne encyclopedlas. nlne ln Len (90)
dlrecL Lhelr sLudenLs Lo speclflc onllne resources Lhey feel are mosL approprlaLe for a parLlcular
asslgnmenL, and 83 develop research quesLlons or asslgnmenLs LhaL requlre sLudenLs Lo use a wlder
varleLy of sources, boLh onllne and offllne.
8(/3 32$512%/ 2,5("%$.2 (,4+,2 %2/2$%519 +,54"-+,. 312 "/2 () -+.+3$4
3251,(4(.+2/ /"51 $/ 5244 61(,2/ 3( )+,- +,)(%#$3+(, :"+5;4&9 &23 6(+,3 3(
<$%%+2%/ +, 312 /51((4 2,=+%(,#2,3 +#62-+,. :"$4+3& (,4+,2 %2/2$%51
Asked whlch onllne acLlvlLles Lhey have sLudenLs engage ln, 93 of Lhe Leachers ln Lhls survey reporL
havlng sLudenLs do research or search for information online, making it the most common online Lask.
ConducLlng research onllne ls followed by accesslng or downloadlng asslgnmenLs (79) or submlLLlng
asslgnmenLs (73) vla onllne plaLforms.

1hese Leachers reporL uslng a wlde varleLy of dlglLal Lools ln Lhelr classrooms and asslgnmenLs, well
beyond Lhe Lyplcal deskLop and lapLop compuLers. Speclflcally, ma[orlLles say Lhey and/or Lhelr sLudenLs
use cell phones (72), dlglLal cameras (66), and dlglLal vldeo recorders (33) elLher ln Lhe classroom or
Lo compleLe school asslgnmenLs. Cell phones are becomlng parLlcularly popular learnlng Lools, and are
now as common to these teachers classrooms as computer carts. According to respondents, the most
popular school task students use cell phones for is to look up information in class, clLed by 42 of Lhe
pew| nt er net . or g 3



Leachers parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe survey.

?eL, survey resulLs also lndlcaLe Leachers face a varleLy of %-,99$2:$+ ln lncorporaLlng dlglLal Lools lnLo
Lhelr classrooms, some of whlch, Lhey suggesL, may hlnder how sLudenLs are LaughL Lo conducL research
onllne. vlrLually all Leachers surveyed work ln a school LhaL employs lnLerneL fllLers (97), formal
pollcles abouL cell phone use (97) and accepLable use pollcles or Aus (97). 1he degree Lo whlch
Leachers feel Lhese pollcles lmpacL Lhelr Leachlng varles, wlLh lnLerneL fllLers clLed mosL ofLen as havlng a
major impact on survey participants teaching (32). Cne ln flve Leachers (21) say cell phone
pollcles have a major lmpacL on Lhelr Leachlng, and 16 say Lhe same abouL Lhelr schools AUP. 1hese
lmpacLs are felL mosL sLrongly among Lhose Leachlng Lhe lowesL lncome sLudenLs.
Teachers give students research skills modest ratings
uesplLe vlewlng Lhe overall impact of todays digital environment on students research hablLs as
mostly positive, Leachers raLe Lhe acLual research skllls of Lhelr sLudenLs as good or falr ln mosL
cases. very few Leachers rate their students excellent on any of the research skllls lncluded ln Lhe
survey. 1hls ls noLable, glven LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhe sample Leaches Advanced lacemenL courses Lo
Lhe mosL academlcally advanced sLudenLs.






















pew| nt er net . or g 6



Most teachers give students modest ratings of good or fair when it comes
3( /625+)+5 %2/2$%51 /;+44/
GB$#,99. -'0 0'=96 >'= #,&$ >'=# +&=6$2&+ '2 $,%- ') &-$ )'99'0"2:H

Source: 1he ew 8esearch CenLer's lnLerneL & Amerlcan Llfe ro[ecL Cnllne Survey of 1eachers, March 7 Lo Aprll
23, 2012, n=2,462 mlddle and hlgh school Leachers.

SLudenLs recelve Lhe hlghesL marks from Lhese Leachers for Lhelr ablllLy Lo use approprlaLe and effecLlve
search querles and Lhelr undersLandlng of how onllne search resulLs are generaLed. ?eL even for Lhese
skllls, only abouL one-quarLer of Leachers surveyed here raLe Lhelr sLudenLs excellent or very good.
lndeed, ln our focus groups, many Leachers suggesL that despite being raised in the digital age, todays
sLudenLs are surprlslngly lacklng ln Lhelr onllne search skllls. SLudenLs recelve Lhe lowesL marks for
patience and determination in looking for information that is hard to find, with 43% of teachers rating
their students poor in this regard, and another 35% rating Lhelr students fair.

Clven Lhese percelved deflclLs ln key skllls, lL ls noL surprlslng LhaL 80 of Leachers surveyed say Lhey
spend class Llme dlscusslng wlLh sLudenLs how Lo assess Lhe rellablllLy of onllne lnformaLlon, and 71
spend class Llme dlscusslng how Lo conducL research onllne ln general. AnoLher 37 spend class Llme
helplng sLudenLs lmprove Lhelr search skllls and 33 devoLe class Llme Lo helplng sLudenLs undersLand
how search englnes work and how search resulLs are generaLed. ln addlLlon, asked whaL currlculum
1
1
3
3
S
6
7
6
11
12
19
20
20
1S
26
26
29
36
38
3S
37
39
26
29
33
43
24
20
21
9
0 20 40 60 80 100
AblllLy Lo recognlze blas ln onllne
conLenL
aLlence and deLermlnaLlon ln
looklng for lnformaLlon LhaL ls
hard Lo flnd
AblllLy Lo assess Lhe quallLy and
accuracy of lnformaLlon Lhey flnd
onllne
AblllLy Lo use mulLlple sources Lo
effecLlvely supporL an argumenL
undersLandlng how onllne search
resulLs are generaLed
AblllLy Lo use approprlaLe and
effecLlve search Lerms and
querles
LxcellenL very good Cood lalr oor
pew| nt er net . or g 7



changes mlghL be necessary ln mlddle and hlgh schools Loday, 47 sLrongly agree and 44
somewhaL agree LhaL courses or conLenL focuslng on dlglLal llLeracy C=+& be lncorporaLed lnLo every
schools curriculum.
> %+512% +,)(%#$3+(, 2,=+%(,#2,39 <"3 $3 312 6%+52 () -+/3%$532- /3"-2,3/?
1eachers are evenly divided on the question of whether todays students are fundamentally differenL
from prevlous generaLlons, 47 agree and 32 dlsagree wlLh Lhe sLaLemenL that todays students are
really no dlfferenL Lhan prevlous generaLlons, Lhey [usL have dlfferenL Lools Lhrough whlch Lo express
themselves. 8esponses Lo Lhls lLem were conslsLenL across Lhe full sample of Leachers regardless of Lhe
teachers age or experience level, the subject or grade level taught, or the type of community ln whlch
Lhey Leach.

AL Lhe same Llme, asked whether they agree or disagree that todays students have fundamentally
dlfferenL cognlLlve skllls because of Lhe dlglLal Lechnologles Lhey have grown up wlLh, 88% of the
sample agree, lncludlng 40 who sLrongly agree. 1eachers of Lhe lowesL lncome sLudenLs are Lhe
most likely to strongly agree with this statement (46%) but the differences across student
socloeconomlc sLaLus are sllghL, and Lhere are no oLher noLable dlfferences across subgroups of
Leachers ln Lhe sample.

Cverwhelmlng ma[orlLles of Lhese Leachers also agree wlLh Lhe asserLlons that todays digital
technologies are creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans (87%) and todays
students are too plugged in and need more time away from their digital technologies (86%). 1wo-
Lhlrds (64) agree wlLh Lhe notion that todays digital technologies do more to distract students than
to help them academically. ln focus groups, some Leachers commenLed on Lhe connecLlon Lhey see
beLween students overexposure to technology, and Lhe resulLlng lack of focus and dlmlnlshed ablllLy
Lo reLaln knowledge Lhey see among some sLudenLs. 1lme managemenL ls also becomlng a serlous lssue
among sLudenLs, accordlng Lo some Leachers, ln Lhelr experlence, todays digital technologies not only
encourage sLudenLs Lo assume all Lasks can be flnlshed qulckly and aL Lhe lasL mlnuLe, buL sLudenLs also
use varlous dlglLal Lools aL Lhelr dlsposal Lo waste time and procrastinate.

1hus, desplLe 77 of Lhe survey respondenLs descrlblng Lhe overall lmpacL of Lhe lnLerneL and dlglLal
technologies on students research habits as mostly positive, the broad story is more complex. While
ma[orlLles of Leachers surveyed see Lhe lnLerneL and oLher dlglLal Lechnologles encouraglng broader and
deeper learnlng by connecLlng sLudenLs Lo more resources abouL Loplcs LhaL lnLeresL Lhem, enabllng
Lhem Lo access mulLlmedla conLenL, and broadenlng Lhelr worldvlews, Lhese Leachers are aL Lhe same
Llme concerned abouL dlglLal distractions and students ablllLles Lo focus on Lasks and manage Lhelr
Llme. Whlle some frame Lhese lssues as sLemmlng dlrecLly from dlglLal Lechnologles and Lhe parLlcular
sLudenLs Lhey Leach, oLhers suggesL Lhe concerns acLually reflecL a slow response from parenLs and
educaLors Lo shape Lhelr own expecLaLlons and students learnlng envlronmenLs ln a way LhaL beLLer
reflecLs Lhe world todays students live in.

pew| nt er net . or g 8



><("3 312 -$3$ 5(44253+(,
uaLa collecLlon was conducLed ln Lwo phases. ln phase one, ew lnLerneL conducLed Lwo onllne and one
ln-person focus group wlLh mlddle and hlgh school Leachers, focus group parLlclpanLs lncluded
Advanced lacemenL (A) teachers, teachers who had participated in the National Writing Projects
Summer lnsLlLuLe (nW), as well as Leachers aL a College 8oard school ln Lhe norLheasL u.S. 1wo ln-
person focus groups were also conducLed wlLh sLudenLs ln grades 9-12 from Lhe same College 8oard
school. 1he goal of Lhese dlscusslons was Lo hear Leachers and sLudenLs Lalk abouL, ln Lhelr own words,
Lhe dlfferenL ways Lhey feel dlglLal Lechnologles such as Lhe lnLerneL, search englnes, soclal medla, and
cell phones are shaplng students research and writing habits and skills. Teachers were asked to speak
ln depLh abouL Leachlng research and wrlLlng Lo mlddle and hlgh school sLudenLs Loday, Lhe challenges
Lhey encounLer, and how Lhey lncorporaLe dlglLal Lechnologles lnLo Lhelr classrooms and asslgnmenLs.
locus group dlscusslons were lnsLrumenLal ln developlng a 30-mlnuLe onllne survey, whlch was
admlnlsLered ln phase Lwo of Lhe research Lo a naLlonal sample of mlddle and hlgh school Leachers. 1he
survey resulLs reporLed here are based on a non-probablllLy sample of 2,462 mlddle and hlgh school
Leachers currenLly Leachlng ln Lhe u.S., uerLo 8lco, and Lhe u.S. vlrgln lslands. Cf Lhese 2,462 Leachers,
2,067 compleLed Lhe enLlre survey, all percenLages reporLed are based on Lhose answerlng each
quesLlon. 1he sample ls noL a probablllLy sample of all Leachers because lL was noL pracLlcal Lo assemble
a sampllng frame of Lhls populaLlon. lnsLead, Lwo large llsLs of Leachers were assembled: one lncluded
42,879 A Leachers who had agreed Lo allow Lhe College 8oard Lo conLacL Lhem (abouL one-Lhlrd of all
A Leachers), whlle Lhe oLher was a llsL of 3,869 Leachers who parLlclpaLed ln Lhe naLlonal WrlLlng
Projects Summer Institute during 2007-2011 and who were noL already parL of Lhe A sample. A
sLraLlfled random sample of 16,721 A Leachers was drawn from Lhe A Leacher llsL, based on sub[ecL
LaughL, sLaLe, and grade level, whlle all members of Lhe nW llsL were lncluded ln Lhe flnal sample.
1he onllne survey was conducLed from March 7Aprll 23, 2012. More deLalls on how Lhe survey and
focus groups were conducLed are lncluded ln Lhe MeLhodology secLlon aL Lhe end of Lhls reporL, along
wlLh focus group dlscusslon guldes and Lhe survey lnsLrumenL.
><("3 312 32$512%/ 71( 6$%3+5+6$32- +, 312 /"%=2&
1here are several lmporLanL ways Lhe Leachers who parLlclpaLed ln Lhe survey are unlque, whlch should
be consldered when lnLerpreLlng Lhe resulLs reporLed here. llrsL, 93 of Lhe Leachers who parLlclpaLed
ln Lhe survey Leach ln publlc schools, Lhus Lhe flndlngs reporLed here reflecL LhaL envlronmenL almosL
excluslvely. ln addlLlon, almosL one-Lhlrd of Lhe sample (nW Summer lnsLlLuLe Leachers) has recelved
extensive training in how to effectively teach writing in todays digital environment. The National
Writing Projects mission is to provide professional development, resources and support to teachers to
improve the teaching of writing in todays schools. The NWP teachers included here are what the
organization terms teacher-consultants who have attended the Summer Institute and provide local
leadershlp Lo oLher Leachers. 8esearch has shown slgnlflcanL galns ln Lhe wrlLlng performance of
pew| nt er net . or g 9



sLudenLs who are LaughL by Lhese Leachers.
1

Moreover, Lhe ma[orlLy of Leachers parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe survey (36) %=##$2&9> Leach A, honors, and/or
acceleraLed courses, Lhus Lhe populaLlon of mlddle and hlgh school sLudenLs Lhey work wlLh skews
heavlly Loward Lhe hlghesL achlevers. 1hese Leachers and Lhelr sLudenLs may have resources and
supporL avallable Lo LhemparLlcularly ln Lerms of speclallzed Lralnlng and access Lo dlglLal LoolsLhaL
are noL avallable ln all educaLlonal seLLlngs. 1hus, Lhe populaLlon of Leachers parLlclpaLlng ln Lhls
research might best be considered leading edge teachers who are actively involved with the College
8oard and/or Lhe naLlonal WrlLlng ro[ecL and are Lherefore beneflclarles of resources and Lralnlng noL
common Lo all Leachers. lL ls llkely LhaL Leachers ln Lhls sLudy are developlng some of Lhe more
innovative pedagogical approaches to teaching research and writing in todays digital environment, and
are lncorporaLlng classroom Lechnology ln ways LhaL are noL Lyplcal of Lhe enLlre populaLlon of mlddle
and hlgh school Leachers ln Lhe u.S. Survey flndlngs represenL Lhe aLLlLudes and behavlors of Lhls
parLlcular group of Leachers only, and are noL represenLaLlve of Lhe enLlre populaLlon of u.S. mlddle and
hlgh school Leachers.
Lvery efforL was made Lo admlnlsLer Lhe survey Lo as broad a group of educaLors as posslble from Lhe
sample flles belng used. As a group, Lhe 2,462 Leachers parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe survey comprlse a wlde
range of sub[ecL areas, experlence levels, geographlc reglons, school Lype and socloeconomlc level, and
communlLy Lype (deLalled sample characLerlsLlcs are avallable ln Lhe MeLhodology secLlon of Lhls
reporL). 1he sample lncludes Leachers from all 30 sLaLes, uerLo 8lco, and Lhe u.S. vlrgln lslands. All
Leachers who parLlclpaLed ln Lhe survey Leach ln physlcal schools and classrooms, as opposed Lo
Leachlng onllne or vlrLual courses.
Lngllsh/language arLs Leachers make up a slgnlflcanL porLlon of Lhe sample (36), reflecLlng Lhe
lnLenLlonal deslgn of Lhe sLudy, buL hlsLory, soclal sclence, maLh, sclence, forelgn language, arL, and
muslc Leachers are also represenLed. AbouL one ln Len Leachers parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe survey are mlddle
school Leachers, whlle 91 currenLly Leach grades 9-12. 1here ls wlde dlsLrlbuLlon across school slze
and students socioeconomic status, Lhough half of Lhe Leachers parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe survey reporL
Leachlng ln a small clLy or suburb. 1here ls also a wlde dlsLrlbuLlon ln Lhe age and experlence levels of
parLlclpaLlng Leachers. 1he survey sample ls 71 female.


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About the Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project
The Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life
ro[ecL ls one of seven pro[ecLs LhaL make up Lhe ew
Research Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit fact tank
LhaL provldes lnformaLlon on Lhe lssues, aLLlLudes and
Lrends shaplng Amerlca and Lhe world. 1he ro[ecL
produces reporLs explorlng Lhe lmpacL of Lhe lnLerneL on famllles, communlLles, work and home, dally
llfe, educaLlon, healLh care, and clvlc and pollLlcal llfe. 1he ew lnLerneL ro[ecL Lakes no poslLlons on
pollcy lssues relaLed Lo Lhe lnLerneL or oLher communlcaLlons Lechnologles. lL does noL endorse
Lechnologles, lndusLry secLors, companles, nonproflL organlzaLlons, or lndlvlduals. Whlle we Lhank our
research parLners for Lhelr helpful guldance, Lhe ew lnLerneL ro[ecL had full conLrol over Lhe deslgn,
lmplemenLaLlon, analysls and wrlLlng of Lhls survey and reporL.
><("3 312 @(442.2 A($%-
1he College 8oard ls a mlsslon-drlven noL-for-proflL
organlzaLlon LhaL connecLs sLudenLs Lo college success and
opporLunlLy. lounded ln 1900, Lhe College 8oard was
creaLed Lo expand access Lo hlgher educaLlon. 1oday, Lhe
membershlp assoclaLlon ls made up of over 6,000 of Lhe
worlds leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in
educaLlon. Lach year, Lhe College 8oard helps more Lhan seven mllllon sLudenLs prepare for a successful
LranslLlon Lo college Lhrough programs and servlces ln college readlness and college success lncludlng
Lhe SA1

and Lhe Advanced lacemenL rogram

. 1he organlzaLlon also serves Lhe educaLlon communlLy

Lhrough research and advocacy on behalf of sLudenLs, educaLors and schools. lor furLher lnformaLlon,
vlslL www.collegeboard.org.

><("3 312 B$3+(,$4 C%+3+,. D%(E253
1he naLlonal WrlLlng ro[ecL (nW) ls a naLlonwlde neLwork of
educaLors worklng LogeLher Lo lmprove Lhe Leachlng of wrlLlng ln
Lhe naLlon's schools and ln oLher seLLlngs. nW provldes hlgh-
quallLy professlonal developmenL programs Lo Leachers ln a varleLy
of dlsclpllnes and aL all levels, from early chlldhood Lhrough
unlverslLy. 1hrough lLs nearly 200 unlverslLy-based slLes servlng all
30 sLaLes, Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla, uerLo 8lco and Lhe u.S. vlrgln
lslands, nW develops Lhe leadershlp, programs and research needed for Leachers Lo help sLudenLs
become successful wrlLers and learners. lor more lnformaLlon, vlslL www.nwp.org.