SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND LEARNING: A RESEARCH

JOURNEYDr Ross J Todd

Director, Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries

School of Communication & Information Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

cissl.scils.rutgers.edurtodd@rutgers.edu

www.twitter.com/RossJTodd

[sízz'l] (noun) ¹Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries where leading researchers and professionals work together to create school libraries that spark learning in information age schools around the world.

²Global hot spot for school library action, where the synergies of school libraries, inquiry learning, literacies and information technology spark ideas, research, innovation and scholarship.

1. Undertaking research about learning in information age schools

2. Disseminating research to the scholarly and professional communities throughout the world

3. Fostering the development and continuous improvement of learning-centered professional practice that is underpinned by high quality research

4. 4 faculty members (+ Dr Kuhlthau)5 doctoral studentsI part time Director of Prof DevelopmentSelf-funding : creates challenges rebasic and applied research

MISSION

• Understand how students learn through school libraries.

• Understand learner attributes and patterns of information seeking and use in schools.

• Understand the use of information for learning, the process of inquiry, and building understanding of a topic. Information-to-knowledge Journey

• Understand how learning is effectively implemented through school libraries and demonstrated through evidenced based practice.

• Understand how learning outcomes can be measured and documented through the school library.

• Kuhlthau ISP as central framework

RESEARCH

“With the school library literally the heart of the educational program, the students of the school have their best chance to become capable and enthusiastic readers, informed about the world around them, and alive to the limitless possibilities of tomorrow.” Mary Gaver, 1958

Gaver, M. Every child needs a school library. Chicago, ALA, 1958 Gaver, M. Effectiveness of Centralized Library Service in Elementary Schools. Rutgers University, 1963

Foundational ResearchKeith Curry Lance: 12 State Studies: Correlational StudiesIn schools with well stocked, well-equipped school libraries, managed by qualified and motivated professional school librarians working with support staff, one can expect:

• Standardized scores tend to be 10 to 20% higher than in schools without this investment;

• Development of capable and avid readers;• Learners who have a range of information

scaffolds to interrogate multiple, diverse and conflicting sources of information into deep knowledge;

• Teachers who are partnering with school librarians to create high-quality learning experiences based on curriculum standards;

• Explicit links between availability of resources, technology, information literacy instruction and student achievement .

Research Studies 2003 +

• Student learning through School Libraries- Ohio- Delaware- Australia- New Jersey

School Library Infrastructure Analyses Continuous Improvement- Delaware- NJ (in progress)

School Culture Dynamics- Collaboration- Principal’s Support

• Identify how students benefit from school libraries though exploring the “help” construct

• Provide statewide data on best practices in school libraries

• Improve teaching and learning in information age schools

• Encourage continuous improvement in school library services

• Promote dialog among parent communities, school boards, administrators, school librarians, and teachers on the value of effective school libraries

“Student learning through School Libraries”

Conceptualization of “help”

• Assumption that libraries contribute to “social good”

• Help refers to both the institutional involvement through advice and assistance in the information experiences of people (helps-as-inputs) and the effect of this involvement on the people it serves (helps-as-outcomes/impacts).

• This study has been informed by four streams of literature:

- Information Search Process (Kuhlthau)- Information Intents (Todd)- Outcomes Measurement (Fisher & Durrance)- Information Literacy Standards (AASL).

Context: value / infrastructure / personnel issues

Outcomes of the Austin Public Library Wired for Youth Project (Fisher &

Durrance)

3 Studies: Student Learning Through School Libraries

• Ohio: 13,123 valid student responses and 879 teacher responses (39 schools) (2003-4)

• Australia: 6,718 valid student responses and 525 teacher responses (46 schools) (Lyn Hay, 2004-6)

• Delaware: 5,733 valid student responses and 408 teacher responses (13 schools) (2005-7)

• + many local replications / variations• Tool of Evidence-Based Practice

Getting The Data

• 2 InstrumentsImpacts on Learning Survey (Students)Perceptions of Learning Impacts (Faculty)

• “helps” measure of 48-50 statements of learning outcomes

• Critical Incident response to capture voice of students

• Evidence-based response to capture voice of faculty “how they know the library helps students”

7 Sets of “help”

1.how helpful the school library is with getting information you need

2.how helpful the school library is with using the information to complete your school work Information Literacy skills)

3.How helpful the school library is with your school work in general (knowledge building, knowledge outcomes)

4.How helpful the school library is with using computers in the library, at school, and at home

5.How helpful the school library is to you with your general reading interests

6.How helpful the school library is to you when you are not at school (independent learning)

7.General school aspects –Academic Achievement

1. How helpful the school library is with getting information you need

11. The school library has helped me know the different steps in finding and using information

14. The school library has helped me know when I find good information

2. How helpful the school library is with using the information to complete your school work

21. The school library has helped me know how to use the different kinds of information sources (such as books, magazine, CDs, websites, videos)

24. The school library has helped me put all the ideas together for my topics

3. How helpful the school library is with your school work in general

38. The school library has helped me figure out my own opinions on things

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”

• To validate – “witness” quantitative data; to elucidate “helps” not identified in the statements; to provide the “voice” of the students

How School Libraries Help

• The effective school library helps strongly in terms of providing access to information technology (sources and tools) necessary for students to complete their research assignments and projects successfully

• It provides up-to-date diverse resources to meet curriculum informational needs

• Instructional intervention focuses on the development of an understanding of what good research is about and how you undertake good research

• It engages students in an active process of building their own understanding and knowledge

• Reading enrichment, especially in elementary school• It demonstrates the link between school library

services and learning outcomes

Listen to the Voices

777 When I was working on a project about science I had no idea what I was doing I asked my library teachers for help they helped and by the end of the day I felt so much better!!! And from that day on I knew what I was doing on that project and I got a A I was so proud of myself and my confidence went up a whole lot and now when ever I do a project I know I have a lot of power now to do well on projects!!!

1075 Well one time was when we had to do a report on Animals and I had no clue how to find information about my animal. So Mrs. X helped me find the information on the computer. On the internet if its true or false – to learn that is very important at school.

6256 Sometimes I argue with my parents about things and use the library to check if my opinions are true

Listen to the Voices

3532 I was working on History project and we had to have several sources (primary documents) and the librarians instructed the students on how to go about finding the information we needed and compiling it into something worthwhile. I was able to combine everything together and earn a good grade.

433 It helped me find info on racism for a 10th grade project, and made me really think about that, especially I didn’t realize how racist some of my ideas were

100 I needed help doing a project for government that had to do with presidents and they had so many books and then the librarian helped me find web sites. But then they gave me ways of sorting through all the ideas to extract the key points so I could get my head around it all

Infrastructure of Delaware School Libraries

• Commissioned by the Governor’s Task Force on School Libraries established by Delaware Governor to gather benchmark data on status of school libraries in Delaware

• Use data as basis for capacity building and continuous improvement of school libraries in Delaware

• Capacity Building is broadly conceptualized as any process, strategy, initiative or action that is employed to strengthen or facilitate the ability of school libraries to provide powerful and sustainable, high quality in their schools, and to provide opportunities for school teams to work together in new ways (Noah & Brickman, 2004; Harris & Lambert, 2003).

Delaware Infrastructure Survey Instrument

• Sought to capture data related to the physical, resource and personnel infrastructure (informational)

• In addition, to gain initial perceptions into the nature and focus of instructional activities of school librarians, initiatives related to fostering the development of reading through the school library (transformational)

• Some insight into what the school librarians perceive to be the impact of the school library on student learning outcomes and achievement (formational)

• http://www2.lib.udel.edu/taskforce/survey2004.doc

Key findings• Mismatch between stated goals, espoused beliefs, and

practices and actions

• Staffing and resourcing benchmarks not met (71% certified SL; 22% of libraries have full time support staff)

• Low levels of formal instructional collaborations; small number school librarians (25%) engage in multiple collaborations

• Major gap between espoused conceptions / rhetoric of information literacy and practice of information literacy

• Focus of information literacy instruction: access and retrieval of information; limited attention to “use” of information: resource interventions rather than knowledge construction interventions

• Learning outcomes: focus on use and appreciation of school library; limited notion of impact on curriculum standards library centric

• Inability to identify / express “outcomes” statements beyond school library

• Very passive approaches to reading enrichment / promotion

Capacity-Building Approaches

• Measure and show the school library’s contribution to reading initiatives, curriculum outcomes, vitality of the school library to continuous improvement of schools

• Develop stronger collaborative instructional programs targeted to curriculum outcomes

• Identify reading / literacy achievement gaps and reconfigure reading programs through the school library

• Develop and negotiate school and district improvement plans that engage the school library in a direct and deliberate process of identifying school achievement gaps and developing evidence-based programs to contribute to closing achievement gaps

NJ – IMLS Study

• Do students learn anything when they undertake library-based research projects

• What does this learning look like?

• How can it be measured?

NEW JERSEY STUDY

• To provide (if any) empirical evidence of the impact of school libraries on student learning, and to use this as a basis for developing a learning impacts measure for use by school-based teams.

• What learning outcomes, aligned to curriculum standards, does the school library enable?

• How might these learning outcomes be identified, measured, and embedded into professional practice?

• Research Component + Development Component

• SLIM Tookit

New Jersey Research

• 10 New Jersey public schools

• Experienced and expert school librarians

• Diverse public schools

• 10 school librarians working on curriculum projects with 17 classroom teachers

• 574 students in Grades 6 – 12; range of disciplines

• Key question: Did they learn anything? What did the learning look like?

NJ-IMLS Research

• What changes, if any, are evident in students’ knowledge of a curriculum related topic, as they proceed through the stages of a collaborative inquiry project?

• What changes, if any, are shown in the students’ feelings as they proceed through the stages of a collaborative inquiry project?

• How does the students’ study approach influence knowledge construction of a curriculum topic in collaborative inquiry projects?

• What interactions exist between knowledge construction, feelings, and study approach, and what are some of the explanations for these interactions?

Assumptions: Learning

• Process of personal and social construction where people are actively involved in making sense of information rather than passively receiving it

• Cumulative and developmental process

• Involves the whole person thinking, acting, reflecting, discovering and linking ideas, making connections

• Transformative: developing and transforming prior knowledge, skills, attitudes, values: conceptual change

• Encompasses feelings and motivations

Dewey-Kelly-Brunner-Piaget-VygotskyKuhlthau: ISP

Data Collection Instruments

Five data collection instruments were used to collect the data from the students:

1. Writing Task 1 (at initiation of inquiry unit)2. Writing Task 2 (at midpoint of inquiry unit) 3. Writing Task 3 (at conclusion of inquiry unit)4. Search Journal Log5. My Research Style

The instruments consisted of a combination of qualitative and quantitative questions.

Writing TasksWriting task 1 and 2 consisted of the following questions

1. Write the title that best describes your research project at this time.

2. Take some time to think about your research topic. Now write down what you know about this topic.

3. What interests you about this topic?4. How much do you know about this topic? Check ()

one box that best matches how much you know. Nothing, Not much, Some, Quite a bit and A great deal

5. Write down what you think is EASY about researching your topic.

6. Write down what you think is DIFFICULT about researching your topic.

7. Write down how you are FEELING now about your project. Check () only the boxes that apply to you. Confident, Disappointed, Relieved, Frustrated, Confused, Optimistic, Uncertain, Satisfied, Anxious or Other.

Additional Questions at Writing Task 3

1. Write down what you think is EASY about researching your topic.

2. Write down what you think is DIFFICULT about researching your topic.

3. What did you learn in doing this research project? (This might be about your topic, or new things you can do, or learn about yourself)

4. How did the SCHOOL LIBRARIAN help you?

5. How did the TEACHER help you?

Changes in Knowledge: 5 Approaches to Measurement

• Substance of knowledge. Analysis of changes in the relational nature of statements by which students described their topical knowledge.

• Amount of knowledge. Numerical count of number of statements they used to describe their topical knowledge, as well as isolated concepts / terms.

• Structure of knowledge. Thematic organization and integration of themes into a meaningful structure

• Estimate of knowledge. Personal estimate of extent of their topical knowledge

• Labeling of knowledge. The students were asked to give a title for their inquiry project, which was considered to reflect the degree of focus/specification of topical knowledge.

Substance of Knowledge

Statement type

Definition Example

Property statements describing characteristics

The color of Valentine’s day is red

Manner statements describing processes, styles, actions

People drive aggressively in USA

Reason statements of explanations of how and why

The wall was constructed to block invaders

Outcome statements providing end result

(People eat too much) As a result, people got very sick

Causality statements showing some event causally leads to another

Too much alcohol can lead to liver failure

Set Membership

statements about class inclusion

Michelangelo created works such as statue of David, Cistine Chapel and the famous Pieta

Implication statements showing predictive relations, inference, implied meaning

He was suspected of poisoning him

Value Judgment

statements presenting personal position or viewpoint

That’s not right

Changes in Knowledge

Two distinctive approaches to knowledge construction:

-- Transport

-- Transform

“Transport” Approach to Knowledge Construction

• Gathering facts, then more facts, then more facts

• Stockpile of facts, even though facts were sorted, organized and grouped by end of task.

• Remained on a descriptive level throughout

• Limited intellectual engagement with the ideas

• Surface knowledge

• Saw the collection of facts as the end of the research

“Transform” Approach to Knowledge Construction

• Initial: superficial sets of properties

• Moved beyond gathering facts:- building explanations- address differences in information- organizing facts in more coherent ways

• Interpret information

• Establish personal conclusions and reflections

• Collecting facts was the beginning and not end

• Facts were the basis for personal choice

Factors contributing to differences across Schools

• No significant variations across the age, grade, and gender groups

• Nature of task you set: collection of facts or transformation of facts

• Engagement and ownership

• Nature of Interventions: Development of skills to construct knowledge rather than finding information

• Partnerships

Study of School Librarian – TeacherInstructional Collaborations

COLLABORATION: Background

• Dominant construct in professional rhetoric of school librarianship

• Advocated as a high priority for school librarians• Important dynamic in student achievement (eg

Lance)• Lack of theoretical grounding: weakly articulated

education / social psychology / leadership / networking & teaming underpinnings

• lack of consensus as to its conceptual boundaries and operational definition; confusion between coordination, cooperation, collaboration

• Goal: to enhance student learning? is it mastery of curriculum standards; is it mastery of information skills and the creation of students who mirror librarians; collaboration itself sometimes appears as key goal

• Low levels of collaboration are documented (Callison, 2005, Todd 2005)

Purpose of Collaboration Study

• To develop a deeper understanding of classroom teacher-school librarian instructional collaborations:

- their dynamics, processes, enablers, barriers

- their impact on perceptions of learning and instruction, how (if at all) collaboration has changed the nature of classroom practices

- impact on learning outcomes

- its role in continuous improvement and school change

Approach

• Qualitative study of the experience of the instructional collaboration

• Operational definition: Instructional Collaboration is where the classroom teacher and school librarian jointly set goals, design learning experiences, and teach and evaluate a unit of study.

• 170 partnerships established as part of the IMLS-Kent State University IL program over a three year program 2003-2005.

• Experience with the first instructional collaboration undertaken with the school partner as a result of the IL program

Sample

• 130 of 340 who participated in the IL training program (38% response rate)

• 85 school librarians (65%) and 45 teachers (35%)

• 121 (85%) with masters degrees in LIS / education

• Average work experience: T: 12 years (range 1 – 36 years); L: 13 years (range 1 – 32 years)

• T & L: 25% had 5 years or less teaching experience

Some Key Findings

• Primary motivation for teachers: build collegial and collaborative relationships: teaching as a social and collegial experience; collaboration with librarian was a natural extension of social dynamic of teaching

• Primary motivation of librarians centered on marketing library services, increasing their status within the school, and spreading library-centered collaboration in the school.

• Librarians also sought to lesser extent develop their content knowledge or pedagogical skills around which they would cooperate with teachers.

• Librarians acknowledged expertise with technology and information skills

• Characteristics such as divergent and convergent thinking, creativity, flexibility, openness to experience, organization, planning were regarded as important traits that facilitated the working process by both partners

What participants hoped to gain through collaboration

Teachers

• Improved pedagogy, content knowledge, better understanding of curriculum

• Resources, technology help or support from librarian to meet teachers’ needs for students

• Affective reason, eg friendship, relationship with colleague, have fun

OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP TEACHING AND

INSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS

School Librarians• Integrated notion of library as

part of the educational milieu, marketing, model best practice for libraries,

• Improved pedagogy of information literacy

• Improved status of librarian, demonstrate importance

• Affective reason, eg friendship, relationship with colleague, have fun

OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE OWN PROFESSIONALISM, ROLE AND

LIBRARY SERVICES

What participants hoped the students would gain through the collaboration

Teachers

• students to learn curriculum content

• increased information literacy

• Increased depth, better quality of learning

School Librarians

• students to develop information literacy

• students to develop a better perception of the library and the librarian

Mutuality of Intent as key driverOf instructional collaborations

Current Studies

• Pennsylvania: Principals’ Support for School Pennsylvania: Principals’ Support for School Libraries and relationship of this support to Libraries and relationship of this support to student achievement (187 school principals)student achievement (187 school principals)

• New Jersey (2009-2011): 2 phasesNew Jersey (2009-2011): 2 phases• Phase 1: NJ School Library Infrastructure & Phase 1: NJ School Library Infrastructure &

Personnel Study: To provide a comprehensive Personnel Study: To provide a comprehensive picture of the status of public school libraries in picture of the status of public school libraries in New Jersey in terms of facilities, staffing, New Jersey in terms of facilities, staffing, collection and access to information, budget, collection and access to information, budget, and instructionand instruction

• Phase 2 To examine the dynamics of effective Phase 2 To examine the dynamics of effective school libraries to establish the outcomes and school libraries to establish the outcomes and opportunities for school libraries in New Jersey, opportunities for school libraries in New Jersey, and to establish the key inputs (both library and and to establish the key inputs (both library and school-wide inputs) that enable these outcomes. school-wide inputs) that enable these outcomes. Commissioner Davy’s concern: “Show me what Commissioner Davy’s concern: “Show me what good school libraries in New Jersey look like.”good school libraries in New Jersey look like.”

PROPOSED NJ STUDY

• 40 schools for in-depth study. 40 schools for in-depth study. • Undertake an in-depth study of the dynamics of these Undertake an in-depth study of the dynamics of these

school libraries within a broader analysis of the schools school libraries within a broader analysis of the schools and their culture:and their culture:

• perceptions of students: identify “helps – as – inputs” perceptions of students: identify “helps – as – inputs” and “helps –as-outputs”and “helps –as-outputs”

• faculty attitude / values towards school librariesfaculty attitude / values towards school libraries• faculty use of school libraries – enablers and inhibitors faculty use of school libraries – enablers and inhibitors

of library useof library use• faculty perception of impact and sources of evidence of faculty perception of impact and sources of evidence of

impactimpact• principal attitude / value towards school librariesprincipal attitude / value towards school libraries• faculty perception of school library’s impact on student faculty perception of school library’s impact on student

learning, and evidence for impactlearning, and evidence for impact• principal support for school libraries and how it is seen principal support for school libraries and how it is seen

to impact on learning outcomesto impact on learning outcomes• survey of school librarian actions to enable student survey of school librarian actions to enable student

learning outcomes, and perceptions of how those learning outcomes, and perceptions of how those actions impact on learning, and what the actual impacts actions impact on learning, and what the actual impacts areare

• school librarian data on evidence of impactschool librarian data on evidence of impact

Key Challenges

• From Information to Inquiry

• Evidence-based practice

• Building teams and partnerships

• Engaging Web 2.0 tools to develop deep inquiry

• Re-imagining school libraries

Without inquiry, there is no reason for school libraries

Without evidence, it is just another opinion

Without teams, there is limited capacity for change

Without Web 2.0, missed opportunity for situating learning in the real world of kids

Vision for the future: you create the vision. Without vision, you walk in darkness