SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORLDWIDE

Volume 15, Number 2, July 2009

[Members / subscribers only access]

Relationships

Editorial
Dianne Oberg

Principals’ Perspectives of School Librarians [Public access article]
Donna M. Shannon
Research has revealed that the principal’s support of the school’s library program is critical to its success. For this reason, it is imperative for librarians to understand the principal’s perceptions and priorities. This project was designed to determine the criteria that principals in South Carolina, USA use in hiring a school librarian, the competencies principals consider important for a school librarian to possess, and principals’ level of satisfaction with the work of their current school librarian. South Carolina’s K-12 school principals were asked to participate in the project by submitting an online questionnaire which was completed by 189 respondents. Findings indicate that principals generally supported school librarian competencies as outlined in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (the national standards for school library media programs in the USA at the time the survey was conducted). Just over 82% of principals were satisfied or very satisfied with their current school librarian.

Building Relationships in the School Social Network: Science Teachers and School Library Media Specialists Report Key Dimensions
Barbara A. Schultz-Jones and Cynthia E. Ledbetter
This paper reports research results from a 2008 study of the social networks of school library media specialists (SLMS) in north Texas and a 2007/2008 survey of science teacher attitudes towards SLMS in north Texas. Analytic methodologies included: social network analysis, statistical analysis, and qualitative content analysis of interviews. Analyses of the results suggest that two key dimensions may provide a foundation for building relationships in the school social network: credibility and visibility. These dimensions may provide opportunities to strengthen the collaboration efforts between SLMS and science teachers. Future research will include proposals to develop collaboration skills and measure the impact of these efforts on student science achievement. With a national emphasis in the United States on requisite science literacy skills, efforts to strengthen cross disciplinary collaboration skills and opportunities should yield positive results.

Examining Information Problem-Solving Instruction: Dynamic Relationship Patterns Mediated by Distinct Instructional Methodologies
Terrance S. Newell
Information problem-solving (IPS) is a central focus of information literacy instruction on the K-12 level, and school media specialists are employing various instructional methodologies during the teaching process. The use of different methodologies has the potential to mediate dynamic teaching/learning relationships in distinct ways. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships within two IPS methodologies: problem-based learning (PB) and participatory simulation (PS). Participant observation was employed to record and describe the broad patterns of relationships that were mediated by each methodology. The results of the study give greater insight into the role that methodology plays in mediating interactions between the elements of an instructional system.

Drop-out Prevention through the School Library: Dispositions, Relationships, and Instructional Practices
Jami L. Jones
In the United States of America, each year almost one-third of all public high school students drop out before graduating and receiving a diploma. School librarians can play a critical role in strengthening and improving the academic achievement of all students, but especially those who are at-risk of dropping out of school. In this article, students most at-risk of dropout are identified. A research-based framework to improve student achievement through dispositions of the school librarian, nurturing relationships and supportive environments, and effective instructional practices is identified. Practical suggestions about specific school library programs are made. The article concludes with a section on implications for practice and suggestions for further study.

Relationships that Foster Intrinsic Motivation for Information Seeking
Sherry R. Crow
Based on a study conducted in the fall of 2008, this article highlights relational aspects of the experiences of upper elementary (age 10) children identified as intrinsically motivated for information seeking. Research for the study was conducted using an inductive naturalistic approach in order to address the following question, “What are the experiences in the lives of upper elementary school children that foster an intrinsic motivation to seek information?” The Self-determination Theory provided the basis for the theoretical framework. Participants were selected from a pool of fifth graders from three diverse schools within a single community in the USA. Initially, the children were chosen based on the results of a survey especially developed for the study. Interviews and a drawing activity were used to collect the data that served as the foundation for analysis. Findings featured in this article are the students’ affinity for play, point-of-passion experiences, “anchor” relationships, and indication by students that working in a group was a component of their favorite information seeking episodes. Importance of relationships to students of particular cultures is also discussed. Implications and recommendations for practitioners include suggestions for defining the missions, directing the services, and structuring the environments of school library programs toward the goal of supporting and developing intrinsic motivation in school children through relationships and relational activities.

The Effect of Early Adolescents’ Psychological Needs Satisfaction upon Their Perceived Competence in Information Skills and Intrinsic Motivation for Research
Marilyn P. Arnone, Rebecca Reynolds, and Todd Marshall
The American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st Century Learner make clear that information skills alone are not sufficient for student success; students must also value those skills, use them in a productive and responsible manner, and have the motivational “dispositions in action” to support successful research and independent lifelong learning. Self-determination theory highlights perceived competence and autonomy as two basic psychological needs that support intrinsically-motivated behavior. This study investigates the extent to which context factors inherent to the school library influence students’ perceived competence in the domain of information skills (PCIS), and their intrinsic motivation for research (IMR). The study explores this relationship among 1272 eighth grade 13-year old students in 20 states. Findings indicate that student perceptions of their school librarian’s autonomy supportiveness and their perceptions of the librarian’s technology competence contribute significantly to PCIS and IMR. These findings are important in that they highlight the important role that the school librarian may play in influencing student affect towards the activity of information uses and research, and likely their consequent learning outcomes.

Indexed in Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis, Children Literature Abstracts, Contents Pages in Education, Educational Resources Information Clearing house (ERIC), Library Literature, and Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA).

Last updated 5 August 2009 (KSB)