Bleidt, S.A. (2011). How students utilize and perceive their school library. American Secondary Education, 39(3), 67-85.
I was interested in finding a study related to students' feelings about and usage of school libraries. My PTSA has paid for a Survey Monkey account and has offered me the opportunity to use it multiple times. I would love to do a student survey about the library, but I'm not sure what to ask. I already get a lot of informal feedback, but that is only from students who are comfortable enough to tell me what they need, or from what I happen to overhear.
The study focused on four research questions. Each research question corresponded with a set of survey questions designed to provide an answer to the research question. The research questions were:
1. How often are middle school students utilizing their school library?
2. How are middle school students utilizing their school library?
3. What are middle school students' perceptions of the usefulness of the school library?
4. What do students perceive as the strengths/weakness of their school library?
As I continued reading the article and reached the findings, nothing surprised me. Students use the library to find books, good things to read, use the computers, and have a quiet place to work and read. They wish there were more new books, it was more attractive and comfortable, and more technology.
The findings of this study were extremely predictable. That is, they were predictable to me as a middle school librarian with a pretty "traditional" school library. I provide a calm, safe space for students to read and work, computers for student use, books, book recommendations, and help answering a variety of questions. While I initially began reading this study with the thought that I might want to administer a survey, I was able to conclude that it would not be a good use of my time. I think it would be more useful to develop a survey around specific programs and projects (such as Battle of the Books, flipped classrooms, technology-based projects) to gauge the impact and interest level.
In addition to gathering data on specific programs, I also hope to implement some new programs and projects inspired by my work in Dr. Loertscher's class this semester (LIBR 233, The Learning Commons). At that point, it might be worth doing some surveying to decide on next steps. My students' answers to the above research questions would certainly provide me with some interesting information, but I don't think that the quality of the information would make the time worthwhile.
No comments:
Post a Comment