As a sequel to the freshman research paper (FRP), the junior research paper (JRP) has become an integral part of junior year at Lexington High School. Amid a busy year of standardized tests and a rigorous workload, students must also write a historical research paper. This paper involves exploring a topic in American history as students apply their skills in academic writing.
Teachers hope the JRP helps build the historical and writing skills students will need in later years. But does the JRP accomplish its goal, or has it just become another burden for juniors to complete? Although students may be doubtful, the JRP is beneficial in helping LHS’s students further develop their analytical skills coupled with soft skills such as time management and organization.
The process required to write the JRP does not only build important historical thinking skills, but also builds diverse insights which students can apply to their life. According to Shane Wilson, a junior year teacher of Advanced Placement United States History at LHS, the JRP’s most important takeaway is the process of curating it.
“Whether it is a job, or a four-year or two-year school, being able to write a paper like this is a skill set that is needed. When students come back and we talk about college, having written the JRP does come up,” Wilson said.
The JRP also helps students become more independent by teaching them to cultivate these skills on their own.
“For the FRP we had a lot of hand-holding… with a JRP, you have to figure it out on your own. You have to figure out how to interpret sources and build your analysis around that,” Catherine Taibi, a junior at LHS, said.
Wilson also believes that the process of writing the JRP helps students improve their ability to interpret and analyze historical events.
“The historical skills are being able to take multiple bits of information and consolidate them into a thought. I mean how many times in life are we going to have to do that? A lot more than you think. It is the research skills, the taking of these different sources, and ciphering it down into a common thought,” Wilson said.
However, it can be difficult for students to connect a lot of information together and synthesize it all into one research paper.
“If you have a broad topic that has a lot of information, it can be really difficult to find out where to start. But if you have a topic that has limited information, it can be difficult to piece things together. That personally has been what I have found hard with my JRP,” Taibi said.
The JRP’s timing is also strategic. Some teachers, like Wilson, opt to assign the JRP at the beginning of the year to build writing skills early on, while others choose to complete it at the end of the year after major tests, including the exam for AP US History.
“Why I haven’t changed [the timing] is the feedback I have gotten from students about the other things they have learned during the JRP. Not just the historical research but the time management [and] budgeting. All those things are going to pay off way more than just one paper,” Wilson said.
The JRP at LHS may be challenging and seem focused solely on applying historical facts, but it is clear that it is much more than that. It helps prepare students for life after high school by developing their research skills while indirectly teaching time management and independence. The JRP serves as a valuable experience in junior year, helping build crucial life skills for the future.
