Title: To Read or Not to Read: That is the Question School Libraries and Achievement with a focus on readin
1To Read or Not to Read That is the
Question!School Libraries and Achievement
(with a focus on reading)
- Dr Ross J Todd
- Associate Professor
- Director of Research CISSL
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
- rtodd_at_scils.rutgers.edu
- cissl.scils.rutgers.edu
- www.scils.rutgers.edu/rtodd
Center for International Scholarship on School
Libraries
2Libraries 3 Fundamental Beliefs
- Information makes a DIFFERENCE to people
- Making a difference does not happen by chance
Personal intervention of a skilled librarian is
key INTERVENTION - Libraries contribute to the social good believe
that all people can engage with information,
develop new understandings, make decisions and
solve problems TRANSFORMATION - DIFFERENCE, INTERVENTION, TRANSFORMATION
3- The Heartbeat of any Library
- Information Scaffolds
- Reading and writing
- Speaking and listening
- Viewing and visualising
- ? Connecting with information
- ? Interacting with information
- ? Utilising information
- ? NEW KNOWLEDGE, NEW UNDERSTANDINGS
4The Information Society
- there has been an alarming increase in the
number of things I know nothing about - Attributed to Winnie the Pooh
5The Reading-to-Understanding Challenge
Now I am really confused!
6The Reading-to-Understanding Challenge
No Wonder I am lost!
7The Reading-to-Understanding Challenge
A knowledge society? Such insight!!!
8The Reading-to-Understanding Challenge
Food for the Mind?
9Effective School Libraries and Reading
- Higher achievement in standardized reading scores
-
- Higher levels of reading, literacy development,
comprehension, vocabulary development, and
language skills - Higher levels of motivation to read, reading
enjoyment, sustained reading
10Contributing Factors
- Large quantity of books
- Frequency of book borrowing
- Access to a wide range of books at home
- Access to books through public information
agencies - Strong correlation between the size of the
collection available and the amount the students
reported reading - Professionally trained librarians with knowledge
of reading literacy - Support of the principals and teachers
- Availability of support staff who can free the
librarians from routine tasks to undertake their
reading development programs
11Contributing Factors
- Explicit attention to reading literacy programs
and explicit attention from a librarian or other
helper can get students interested in books - Access to networked information technology
services within and beyond the school library - Students read more when they have a quiet,
comfortable place to read - (Krashen) free voluntary reading has a positive
impact on reading comprehension, vocabulary,
spelling ability, grammar usage and writing style
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13- How do effective school libraries help kids?
- How do effective school libraries help kids with
their reading? - 13,123 students tell us!
- http//www.oelma.org/studentlearning.htm
14- www.oelma.org/studentlearning.htm
- www.cissl.scils.rutgers.edu
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16Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries
- Key question How do school libraries help
students? - Provide statewide data on best practices in
school libraries - Encourage continuous improvement in school
library services - Get school communities talking about the value of
effective school libraries
17Student Learning Through Ohio School Libraries
- Funded by State Library of Ohio (80,000)
- 39 effective school libraries chosen
- Students from Grades 3 12 completed survey
- Web-based data collection Data collected from
28th April to early June 2003 - 13,123 valid student responses
- 879 faculty responses
18Getting The Data
- 2 InstrumentsImpacts on Learning Survey
(Students) - Perceptions of Learning Impacts (Faculty)
- Students asked to rate 48 statements about how
the school library helps them - ???? most helpful (you think you got a
great amount of help) - ??? quite helpful (you think you got a good
amount of help) - ?? some help (the help you got was OK, so
so) - ? a little help (you think you got just
a bit of help) -
- If you do not know an answer, or if something
does not apply to you, click the box "Does not
apply". - Write a small story about one instance of help
they got from the school library
19STORY Critical Incident
- Now, remember one time when the school library
really helped you. Write about the help that you
got, and what you were able to do because of it. - 10,315 Stories
207 Sets of help
- How helpful the school library is with getting
information you need - How helpful the school library is with using the
information to complete your school work (l.L.
skills) - How helpful the school library is with your
school work in general (knowledge building,
knowledge outcomes) - How helpful the school library is with using
computers in the library, at school, and at home - How helpful the school library is to you with
your general reading interests - How helpful the school library is to you when you
are not at school (independent learning) - General school aspects Academic Achievement
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22Sample Characteristics
- Boys 48.0
- Girls 51.1
- Ages 7 20
- Grades 3 5 17
- Grades 6 9 45
- Grades 10 12 38
- White 78.5, African-American 5
- Urban/Suburban 81, Rural 10
23Comparison of Mean Scores
24School Library as Dynamic Agent of Learning
- Providing access to information resources,
including through technology - Providing access to multiple viewpoints
- Engaging students in an active process of
building their own understanding and knowledge.
Learning to learn - Instructional intervention Classes in
information skills and creating knowledge, and
developing technical skills - INFORMATION PLACE, but also as a KNOWLEDGE SPACE
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26Reading Scores
Reading Interests Perceptions of Help
27Mean Reading Scores by Grade
Helps are strongest in the elementary school,
with a decrease shown in mean scores as students
progress through schooling.
28Wider Reading Interests
29Wider Reading Interests
- SPORTS including football, basketball, baseball
and skateboarding (1194 responses in Top 50) - HISTORICAL / CIVIC / WORLD EVENTS including
war, World War 2, Holocaust, current events,
news, politics, civil war, famous people (1020
responses in Top 50) - ANIMALS including dogs, cats and horses (886
responses in Top 50) - SOCIAL ISSUES / LIFE CONCERNS including social
studies, health, careers, drugs, colleges, jobs
and sex (538 responses in Top 50) - COMPUTERS including Internet (230 responses in
Top 50)
30Reading Grade-by-grade Differences
- The grade analysis shows sports ranking high in
every grade (highest in all grades except Grades
3 and 4, where it was the second highest in
both). - Animals ranks high in the elementary school and
declines in interest as grade level increases. - A general interest in history in the lower grades
gives way to a specific interest in current
events and government in Grade 12. - Focus on career choices emerges in Year 12
(colleges) and life concern issues (drugs).
31Reading Gender DifferencesGirls consider
libraries more helpful in terms of general
reading interests
Group Statistics
t-test for Equality of Means
The significance level is 0.05
32Reading Gender Differences
33Reading Ethnic Patterns
The scores of African-Americans are significantly
higher than Whites and students in Other group.
34Reading Geographical Region
- The scores of schools in Small City are
significantly higher than other type of schools
35Students Voices
- 1414 I needed a book to read because I finished
all the ones I had at home. When I asked the
librarian, she showed me a good book in the genre
I had asked about, so Im into it now and really
like them. (Responsiveness to expressed need) - 6301 I have never really used the sources of the
school library and I hardly ever go to it. I use
the public or university library. However, the
school library does have lots of good stories,
particularly the recent ones you see in the
bookshops, and that usually gets me into fiction
I want to read (Availability of latest
releases) - 6933 I like to read any of the new fiction that
comes in, especially the history stories. The
librarian knows about that and gets the latest
books for me and always lets me know when some
has arrived (Personalized, targeted, proactive
service)
36Students Voices
- 2981 The library helped me when I was bored and
really needed a good book to read. I had been
going to the public library every once in a
while, but really needed something everyday. I
came down to the library and found lots of good
new books. From that day on I kept coming down to
the library. It made me want to read all of the
new books in the library. I made a booklist and
in a few short weeks I had read every one of the
books on my list. Coming down to the library made
me more aware of the good books available at the
library and made me wish I had visited the
library more often and at the beginning of the
year. Also, I was given the opportunity to become
a library aide. This made me very excited and
anxious to be involved with the library.
(currency relevance connecting with the
library opens other doors) - 1752 When I couldn't find a cool book that I
would be interested in, the librarian helped me
find a science fiction book. I now read a lot
more science fiction and my mommy is proud! She
gets into this reading thing (identifying
interests, developing self-esteem)
37Students Voices
- 5145 Researching my invention project I got an
A. That got me a bit curious about inventions
and I got into some of the science fiction with
the help of the librarian. Every time she sees
me she tells me of the latest book to read and
that is cool. I have my own personal bookstore
adviser!!!!!! (Using curriculum as link to
reading enjoyment and enrichment) - 600 I was a bad horrible reader the library
the librarian and helpers made that happen for my
report. I thought it would never happen but it
did. Now I read all kinds of books and I even
read chapter books. I got a second report done
I were so amazed. it was a miracle. l thank you
for helping me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!! (Showing academic success can be
achieved through improving reading) - 5133 I used to not read very well and after I
used the library for research and information
about homework I was reading more and more from
the information and that had helped me become a
better reader! now I can read a lot better then I
was in the beginning of the school year and
understand better in class! I would not be here
without the library (Personal empowerment)
38Students Voices
- 6943 My great love is EVERY sport. You might say
I am obsessed about them. But that clever
librarian got me into reading sports stories, and
even some biographies about great sportsmen. You
dont realize it I reckon, but the more you read
the better you get at it. She knew that but I
guess the library has helped me realize that for
myself (Knowing your students) - 2345 I had to read seven books for the English
Festival, but I couldn't recognize some of the
themes in the stories. When I asked the librarian
for help she showed me what you have to do in
order to recognize themes better. I used that
knowledge to do better at the English Festival
and get more enjoyment out of reading by
understanding what is in front of me. (Knowing
the dynamics of improving reading) - 6666 Im from a family of um lets see 1 child
and mostly my parents never gave me the time and
place to make me enjoy to read and the librarian
helped me get to read more and I really really
enjoy to read now, thank you, you make every kid
feel better about reading (Understand the lives
of your students)
39Students Voices
- 785 I love to read. The library introduced me to
a new series of books. It was a series of
unfortunate events. After I read those, in my
writing I wasn't afraid to extend beyond the
limits and write creative, farfetched stories
(Making links from reading to writing) - 945 Once recent time that I can think of that
the school library has helped me was when I
needed to find my science vocabulary terms and
write them properly. It also helped me when I
needed to find a world encyclopedia of trade
embargo's of world war 2 for my Social Studies
class. (Improved reading, improved searching) - 6215 I needed to do a lot of research and get a
lot of help for my senior thesis project this
year. I got a lot of help from the library and
the writing intervention workshop. I was able to
make my project a success because writing clearly
and logically is very hard, and the good
resources and writing techniques helped
(Intervention matters)
40Bibliotherapy?
- Q65 The school library has helped me when I have
a personal concern or issue
41Students Voices
- 2503 My girlfriend was in a bit of trouble with
her parents, so we came into the library and
researched about the issue and found ways she
could talk to them without them yelling at her - 2185 I once thought that I had a venereal
disease and I was terrified. I went to the school
library and looked up some info on them and this
finally helped me discuss the situation with my
parents - 2378 Because of the school library, I was able
to research the African Hindu Tribes of my native
country. This proved extremely helpful in my
search for self acceptance. I have searched many
months through books of all sorts never stumbling
upon anything remotely near what I needed. Even
the tour I took to the museum and the Epcot
center couldnt clearly explain in full detail
what it felt like to be a true African. I would
have never felt in place without this necessary
information.
42Some Negative Responses
- 8465 The library is not here to be my
psychologist, and the last thing I need is a
librarian being my analyst. Its here to provide
me with all the materials I need for my school
work which it does well - 2982 I rely on my guidance counselor for help
with "personal issues." I rely on my PARENTS, who
taught me to read when I was 5. I rely on my
TEACHERS to teach me how to take notes and
encourage participation in discussion. I rely on
myself to formulate opinions and be confident.
the library is SIMPLY a place to gather
information. - 3018 I don't go to the library in order to make
long-lasting friendships or for my emotional
problems. And to be honest, I would probably look
at someone like they needed help with their
emotional issues if they asked me what was wrong. - 3019 The library should be a place where no one
bothers you and not tries to act like Dr. Phil
trying to solve your personal messes
43KEY ISSUES
- Developing an inclusive community boys and
girls - Demands of curriculum No time to read
- Playing psychologist? Moral high ground?
- Personality issues Enforced choice
- Perceive reading enjoyment to be the role of the
public library Seamless environments? - Library systems and rules what do they convey
about what is important?
44KEY QUESTIONS
- While elementary school libraries provide higher
levels of perceived helpfulness in terms of
reading interests, this is not so in the high
schools. Does this matter? - Is the investment in reading literacy in the
higher grades worth the effort in terms of
perceived cost benefits? - Is reading literacy an important dimension of the
service of high school libraries? - Should high school libraries focus on curriculum
initiatives and leave the reading literacy
initiatives to the public libraries and the
bookshops? - How can school librarians be better prepared to
foster inclusive reading literacy development?
45MAKING A DIFFERENCE
- The Library has helped me with everything. My
friends and I learn so much in the library. I
never knew reading could be fun! Also, the
librarians are so nice. They've helped me with so
much like finding books, how to use a almanac, a
dictionary, and how to read the spines of a book.
I thank the library for teaching me more things
about reading. When I first came to XX I never
liked reading, but because of the XX Library I
love reading! Thanks again! (Grade 4)
Developing knowledge and understanding. Reading
is a passport to knowledge