Bibliography Case

It seems that in my attempt to search for data and research through the Walden University's library, I use many different strategies each time to gain information. I go through different steps each time because I forget how to do it but I seem to get to the same research database. As long as I can remember, I have used the EBSCO database with all the universities I have attended. I tend to be more familiar with how to use it and it gives me the most research as well as a cited APA of the research.

I find it easier to save or bookmark the Walden Library so that I don't have to go through the Portal each time. If I am using a different computer, I usually go through the 'myWalden Portal' and click on Walden Library Home. I then click on the Library Website link that navigates me to the Library Home Page and then on the Research Database to search for articles. I select Education as a subject area because that is my topic and then I click on ERIC contains articles, books, research papers, reports, peer-reviewed articles and other education-related materials. Then I log into the Center of Success with my email address and password. I find it easier to modify my database to gain more research. I choose the Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, Education Research Complete, and Regional Business News as an advanced research option. After selecting those databases to search, I then enter Teacher's merits and a mass amount of information appears.

A report from the Education Commission of the States is the first research that appears. This report called Teacher Merit Pay: What Do We Know? explains the recent increased funding level for the federal Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF). The Education Commission of the States (2010) states the TIF program, which is run through the United States Department of Education (USDOE), provides funding to school districts to help them implement merit pay systems. The USDOE has increased funding for the TIF program this year by more than four-fold--from $97.3 million to $437 million. This will assist me in my research because I needed to find information that determined how funds were allocated and from what source.

The next research is an academic journal written by Jerry Clabaugh from Educational Horizons called Teacher Merit Pay: Is it a good idea? In this article, Clabaugh (2009) talks about teacher merit pay and examines whether merit pay could work the same way--as bonuses for brownnosers or favoritism will result in unfair competition for merit pay. Clabaugh (2009) discusses the idea behind merit pay and describes one undesirable aspect of merit pay, which is increasing competition and decreasing cooperation among teachers. This information helps to form how many districts use the funds inappropriately. This information tends to detour teachers from performing efficiently.

In my pursuit