ENG215 Research And Writing Assignment

Why Students Require Academic Research Skills

Academic research skills are required by any student who wants to succeed and develop knowledge for the field they are studying. It is defined as a careful study of a given subject, field or problem to discover the facts and principles within it. At college students are required to work on different tasks that seek to gauge and improve different skills that they have (Gedik, Kiraz, & Ozden, 2013). To carry out academic research, students require skills in critical thinking, analytical thinking, explanation skills and the ability to summarize or categorize the information that they encounter. Since students encounter different activities of academic research, some have not discovered the importance of this skills in their educational and later professional life. This essay presents the importance of academic research skills to justify why students need them.

One relevance for such skills is that they are a tool for building knowledge and facilitating learning. This means that research is a requirement for all professionals that allow people to find interesting topics and discuss. This includes determining what the general public wants, watching the trends that exist and predicting patterns that assist in decision making (Miller, 2014). This means that when students carry out research they build their knowledge in the field of study which makes the informed and more competitive.

Research is also a means to understand various issues in society and sometimes raise awareness to those who lack such knowledge. In most cases, knowledge is transferred through sharing thus students can advance knowledge by sharing with each other and others in the society (Lillis & Scott, 2007). For example, in college, students engage each other in academic discussions and forums where they seek to understand the challenges that exist. Sometimes, these challenges form the basis of research and areas of their future work as professionals in the field. For example, all problems that have been solved started existing as ideas before they were changed into problems that the society faces. As students engage in research, they develop new experiences that are important in the societies that they live. This is the reason why localities that have better-educated people have better opportunities since these people solve societal problems through research while others find ways of finding solutions when they students while engaging in academic work.

Another importance of academic research is problem-solving for business advancements. Students who engage extensively in research develop new ideas for solving real-world problems that exist. For example companies like Samsung have advanced because they engage students who are in colleges to research on different projects that they are working on and present solutions for business advancement (Willison, 2012). Research and development support the economy of any country since these resources are mostly channeled to academic institutions that fund students willing to engage in different areas of research. Such student’s play a major role in developing solutions for the society since this forms the basis of their research projects. Most solutions that exist in the world today have been developed by students who were extensively engaged in their academic research.

Lastly, academic research is a means for the student to be recognized through their works thus seizing opportunities that can change their life. Corporations are in search of young talents that can turn around their business through unique ideas developed under extensive research. When students are engaged in research, the benefits are for the society and at the same time at their personal level (Zammit, 2010). Research opens avenues for students since their projects can be identified by different business entities who are willing to engage them in their organizations. Microsoft has the same program where the best researchers are employed by the company thus allowing them to make a living without having to draft an application letter and go through the bureaucracy of vetting new employees.

Therefore, academic research is a skill that every student needs to develop during their time in college. Students need to understand that when they are in college, they have enough time to carry out academic research using the resources of the institution. This can improve their lives and the life of the society if they are able to create solutions to the existing problems that the society faces. Through critical and analytical thinking, students can explore the existing propositions and challenge them or improve to make better recommendations on the existing facts. This means that academic research provides students with an opportunity to exploit the resources around them better use as they seek to develop more knowledge in the field that they are studying.

References

Gedik, N., Kiraz, D., & Ozden, M. (2013). Design of a blended learning environment: Considerations and implementation issues. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 29(1), 1-19.

Lillis, T., & Scott, M. (2007). Defining academic literacies research: Issues of epistemology, ideology and strategy. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4, 5-32.

Miller, J. (2014). Building academic literacy and research skills by contributing to Wikipedia: A case study at an Australian university. Journal of Academic Language & Learning, 8(2).

Willison, J. (2012). When academics integrate research skill development in the curriculum. Higher Education Research & Development, 31, 905-919.

Zammit, K. (2010). The New Learning Environments framework: Scaffolding the development of multilliterate students. An International Journal, 5, 325-337.