InfoGuides: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Education: Find Articles

Tips to Improve Database Searches

Searching in databases can be tricky. Think of searching in databases like placing an order at Starbucks. If you don't use the correct language, you will not get the order you want. To get you started here are some suggestions.

What works as a subject in one database may not work in another.
If the database offers a thesaurus or term finder use it!
Put quotes around phrases
Never use acronyms by themselves (Put "English language learners" not ELL)

Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts: "language acquisition" "English language learners" "English as a second language" "English as second language learning" "second language learning" bilingualism, multilingualism, "bilingual education"

PsycINFO & PsycTests (from EBSCO): In these APA databases, use the "Term Finder" which is a thesaurus of subject terms. Rather than using subject APA calls them "APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms." Relevant terms include: English as Second Language, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism,Multilingualism

Social Sciences Citation Index: Relevant terms include: multilingualism, "second language learners" "English as a second language" "English language learners" pluralingualism, bilingualism, "language acquisition" Note: This database does not contain a thesaurus. Use TOPIC in place of subject.

Education Research Complete: multilingualism, "English language -- study & teaching --foreign speakers" "second language acquisition", bilingualism, "bilingual education"

Key Databases

Databases for finding peer-review research and reports

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA)
A valuable source for the latest in linguistics and its various sub-disciplines. Non-evaluative abstracts of articles from hundreds of serials published around the world, complemented with coverage of books, occasional papers, monographs, & more.
APA PsycInfo (EBSCO)
Covers the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Includes more than 3.7 million records.
Social Sciences Citation Index
Indexes more than 3,000 journals across 55 social science disciplines, as well as selected items from 3,500 of the world's leading scientific and technical journals. Covers from 1900 to the present. Part of Web of Science.
Education Research Complete
Covers all aspects of education including multilingual education, health education, testing, curriculum instruction, administration, policy, funding, and all levels of education from early childhood to higher education. Provides indexing for over 1,800 journals, as well as full-text for over 900 journals, 81 books, and numerous education-related conference papers.
Education Database
Gives users access to over 900 educational publications, including more than 600 of the titles in full text from 1988 to present. Coverage spans the literature on primary, secondary and higher education as well as special education, home schooling, and adult education.
Teacher Reference Center
Provides indexing and abstracts for more than 270 of the most popular teacher and administrator journals and magazines to assist professional educators.

Education meta search tool

This tool allows you conduct a real-time search across 20 databases and ejournal collections.

Key Journals

Bilingual Research Journal
Delivers in-depth coverage of education theory and practice, dealing with bilingual education, bilingualism, and language policies in education.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Predominantly empirical research (quantitative or qualitative methods) on issues of interest to early childhood development, theory, and educational practice (Birth through 8 years of age).
International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning
Publishes the outcomes of research and current debates on development education and related concepts such as global learning, global education, and global citizenship.
Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners
Includes articles on effective classroom/postsecondary practices, assessment, family/community empowerment techniques, research, material and test reviews, recruitment, and other issues pertaining to culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional populations.
Review of Educational Research
Publishes critical, integrative reviews of research literature bearing on education, including conceptualizations, interpretations, and syntheses of literature and scholarly work in a field broadly relevant to education and educational research.
TESOL Quarterly
Includes articles on topics of signiﬁcance to individuals concerned with English language teaching and learning and standard English as a second dialect.