IASL Research Abstracts: 173

Findings: School faculty value the school library and see it playing an important role in student learning in tangible ways. The most prominent types of "input help" provided to students concerned using computers, finding and locating information, and information to complete school work. Major types of "outcome helps" were learning products that reflected effective researching and engaging with information to construct new understandings, well developed research skills, and capable use of information technology.

Abstract: This paper focuses on the perceptions of school principals and teaching faculty in relation to the school library and the helps it provides to students. Set against a brief review of current literature, it examines data provided by 879 faculty in 39 elementary, middle and high schools of Ohio as part of the Student Learning through Ohio School Library research study. In a parallel survey to the Impacts on Learning Survey for students participating in this research, the Perceptions of Learning survey sought to gather faculty perceptions of the helps provided by the school library to their students. This paper presents a summary of the findings, provides a brief comparison with the student data, and addresses the concept of evidence of school library helps as observed by the teaching faculty.

Todd, R. and Kuhlthau, C. (2005). Student learning through Ohio school libraries, Part 2: Faculty perceptions of effective school libraries. School Libraries Worldwide, 11(1), 89-110.

Subject Categories: 5, 14