School Libraries Matter: Views from the Research

200 Pages·2013·1.185 MB·English

by  Mirah J. Dow

SCHOOL LIBRARIES MATTER
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SCHOOL LIBRARIES MATTER
Views from the Research
MIRAH J. DOW, EDITOR
Copyright 2013 by Mirah J. Dow
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without
prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
School libraries matter : views from the research / Mirah J. Dow, editor.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-61069-161-1 (hardcopy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-61069-162-8 (ebook)
1. School libraries. I. Dow, Mirah Jane Ingram, editor of compilation.
Z675.S3S291144 2013
027.8—dc23 2013009849
ISBN: 978-1-61069-161-1
EISBN: 978-1-61069-162-8
17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook.
Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.
Libraries Unlimited
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ABC-CLIO, LLC
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This book is printed on acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to school librarians who are on the front lines of education
in today’s schools and to the causes of democracy that with education, including
schools and school libraries, will continue to exist.
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CONTENTS
Illustrations xiii
Foreword xv
Blanche Woolls
Preface xvii
Introduction xxi
1 Professional Dispositions of School Librarians 1
Gail Bush and Jami L. Jones
Introduction: Exploration of Professional Disposition of
School Librarians 1
Dispositions in Action 1
The Concept of Professional Dispositions 3
The Question of Professional Dispositions of School Librarians 5
A Broad Context for a Review of the Literature 6
The Delphi Study Methodology 7
Research Design: Delphi Method 7
Research Findings and Plans of Action 8
Envisioning a Future 14
Conclusions: Identifi cation of School Librarian Professional
Dispositions 15
References 15
2 School Librarians in Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development 19
Mirah J. Dow and Jacqueline McMahon Lakin
Introduction: Information Behavior Research 19
Cutting School Librarians Is a Paradox 19
What Is Information Behavior? 21
viii CONTENTS
Constructivism 21
Constructivism in Education and Sociology 21
Constructivism in Library and Information Science Research 22
Constructivist Theories of Information Behavior 22
Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development 22
Student Achievement 23
Annual Yearly Progress: Federal Mandate 24
Every Student Should Graduate High School Ready for
College and Career 24
Students’ Growth: State-Level Example 25
Methodology 27
Dervin’s Sense-Making 27
Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process 27
Information Behaviors Necessary for Achieving Common
Core State Standards 28
Research Findings: Notably Higher AYP Profi ciency with
School Librarian 29
What More Is Needed? 33
Conclusions: A New Picture of the Presence or Absence of
School Librarians 34
References 35
3 Infl uencing Instructional Partnerships in Preservice
Elementary Education Teachers 39
Mirah J. Dow, Tonya Davis, and Angela Vietti-Okane
Introduction: Preparing Future Teachers 39
Literature Review 39
Partnering in Instruction 39
Collaboration Theory 40
Context: Elementary Teacher and School Library Partner Course 41
Research Questions 42
Methodology: Pre- and Post-survey and Procedure 43
Limitations 44
Findings 46
Conclusions 46
References 49
4 Everyday Life Information Seeking Practices of Upper-Income
High School Students 51
Lori L. Franklin
Introduction: A Focus on Students Today in a New School Library 51
New Technologies and Today’s Young People 51
A Study Spark for Examining Teenage Students 52
Literature Pinpoints Need for Studying ELIS Practices in School
Libraries 52
Savolainen and the Theoretical Framework for This Study 52
CONTENTS ix
Studying Teens in a Highly Technological School Library 53
Methodology 53
Choice for a Unique Study Site and Population 53
A Newly Constructed School: Rivals and Rule Testing 54
Data Collection 54
School Librarian Interviews 55
Student Focus Group Sessions 56
Print and Virtual Documentation 57
Generalizability, Substantive Validation, and Reliability 57
Study Limitations 58
Findings 58
Theme I: Students Prefer Own Cell Phones to Library Computers 58
Theme 2: Students at This Site Require a Specifi c Type of
Instructional Model 59
What Are the ELIS Practices Exhibited by Students at the Study Site? 59
How Do the Students in This Study Use Physical and Virtual
Technologies in the School Library? 60
Conclusions: ELIS Practices of Upper-Income High School Students 61
References 63
5 The Impact of School Libraries on Academic Achievement 65
Keith Curry Lance and Linda Hofschire
Introduction: Circumstances that Defi ne American Public Education 65
Site-Based Management 65
Absence of Reliable, Dedicated Federal Funding 66
School Staffi ng Trends 66
Standards-Based State Tests 66
Advent of Computers and the Internet 67
Advent of eBooks, eReaders, and Tablet Computers 67
Partnership for 21st-Century Skills 68
Typical School Library Research Questions 68
Review of the Literature 69
School Libraries and Student Achievement 69
Moving Beyond Student Achievement Studies 71
Methodological Challenges 72
Five-Step Improvement Plan 73
Creating Partnerships with Administrators and Teachers 73
Sharing Research about the Impact of School Libraries and Librarians 73
Defi ning the Roles of School Library and Librarian 74
Creating New Measures of School Library Outputs and Outcomes 74
Documenting the Impact of Teaching 21st-Century Skills on Student
Learning 75
Conclusions: New Questions to Be Studied 75
References 77