Education Commons^™

Impact Of School Librarians On Elementary Student Achievement, Lois D. Wine

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is evidence that a full-time certified school librarian, trained and licensed based on state requirements, impacts fourth grade and fifth grade student scores on reading and/or mathematics end-of-year state achievement tests. Following over 30 years of school library impact studies, primarily correlational and qualitative studies, the school library field continues to have a lack of strong evidence of school librarian impact. This quasi-experimental matching design was conducted to determine if students who had full-time certified school librarians attained higher achievement scores than students who did not have full-time certified school …

Science In The School Library Inquiry Model (Sslim): A Mixed-Methods Case Study Of The Implementation Of A Science And Information Inquiry Curriculum In An Elementary Library, Bree L. Ruzzi

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Data indicate that students in the U.S. may start school with lower levels of science understanding and that these levels may consistently remain lower throughout their public-school career. With deficits in science achievement starting in the earliest years of students’ education, benefits may be gained by exploring alternate resources and alternative environments that can support young student’s science education and achievement. A largely unexplored area for science instruction is in the school library. This dissertation, a mixed-methods, case study, examined the creation and implementation of a novel information and science inquiry model and curriculum, SSLIM. This curriculum was created and …

A Continuum Of Care: School Librarian Interventions For New Teacher Resilience, Rita Reinsel Soulen

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

School librarians occupy a unique position to offer supports for first year teachers to build resilience, reduce burnout, and ensure retention. The researcher used the psychology theory of resilience to develop the Continuum of Care model which initiates in mentoring and moves toward a collaborative partnership. Fifteen school librarians in one urban district recruited 26 new teachers in their schools to form the treatment group. All new teachers in the district were surveyed to establish their initial level of resilience and collect demographics. A comparison group of 26 new teachers were matched by scores on a resilience scale at the …

When It Is Troublesome To Do Right: A Narrative Analysis Of The Continual Censorship And “Sivilizing” Of Huckleberry Finn, Angela P. Branyon

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation is a part of a broader program of research that investigates intellectual freedom. The study focuses on developing understanding in three distinct, but related, research areas – the American historical and cultural narrative of race, the historical discourse of intellectual freedom, and the role The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can play in adding to and perhaps changing these historic stories. By using historical narrative inquiry, data was examined from each story to find correlations among the discourses Where previous research centers on and develops the reasons why Huck Finn has been challenged, this research focuses on how …

School Library Advocacy: Perceptions Of Building Influence, Elizabeth A. Burns

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Hartzell (1997) suggests that many in the school community do not know the value the school library program contributes to the educational landscape, and stakeholders cannot articulate the roles and responsibilities of the school librarian. Advocacy for a school library program is the deliberate and sustained effort to foster understanding of the program while influencing the attitudes of key stakeholders. It includes raising awareness, increasing knowledge and gaining influence for the position of the school librarian. The national professional organization for school librarians, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), maintains a multi-tiered definition of advocacy, with marketing and public …

Addressing The Needs Of Students With Color Vision Deficiencies In The Elementary School Library, Karla Bame Collins

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Color vision deficiencies affect approximately eight percent of the male population (Birch & Chisholm, 2008; Cole, 2007; Jenny & Kelso, 2007; Neitz & Neitz, 2000), yet the condition is often overlooked in the educational setting despite the pervasiveness of color in the school (Suero et al., 2004). The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary school librarians provide instruction and prepare the library environment to meet the needs of students with color vision deficiencies.

This mixed methods study consisted of two components. The first component was a questionnaire administered to elementary school librarians throughout Virginia to gather data …

“This Intense Desire To Know The World”: Factors Influencing The Selection Of Multicultural Children's Literature, Kasey L. Garrison

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Multicultural children's literature offers readers the opportunity to experience new perspectives and cultures or reaffirm and develop their socio-cultural identity (Boston & Baxley, 2007; Yokota, 2009). The availability of diverse titles for youth is critical in enhancing 21st Century literacy and social skills (AASL, 2007; Common Core, 2010; Krashen, 2004). The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing collection development and the selection of multicultural children's literature in public library collections in geographically and demographically diverse communities across one southeastern state.

Employing a mixed methods design, the researcher first surveyed ten library system collections totaling 70 libraries …