Dissertation Information for Angela Beverly Ruffin NAME: - Angela Beverly Ruffin
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA) (1989)
ADVISORS: - Marilyn Lea Miller
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Barbara B. Moran - Evelyn Hope Daniel - Ralph Eugene Wileman - William M. Shaw Jr.
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: School library media specialists and instructional development activities: An analysis of time spent in instructional consulting with teachers
Abstract: School Library Media Specialists are considered to be in a unique position to integrate the services and resources of the library media center with the daily instructional program of the school. Even though school library media specialists have been encouraged to participate in instructional development activities, and leaders and practitioners agree with and accept the importance of this participation, research to date has shown little involvement in instructional development when consulting with teachers. The study used survey questionnaires and telephone interviews to analyze the amount of time school library media specialists spend on instructional development activities. The following variables were studied: formal and informal consulting; number of media professional and support staff; number of years school library media specialist had worked in the library profession, in the present school and with the present principal; the principal's and school library media specialist's importance ratings.
The first hypothesis tested whether there was a relationship between the type of consulting done with teachers and the amount of time school library media specialists spend on instructional development activities. The second hypothesis tested whether a relationship existed between amount of time school library media specialists spend consulting with teachers and number of professional and support media staff and number of years the school library media specialist had worked in the library profession, in the present school and with the present principal. The third and fourth hypotheses tested whether a relationship existed between the amount of time school library media specialists spent on instructional development activities and the importance attached to those activities by the principal and school library media specialist.
School library media specialists at 302 schools (79%) and principals at 322 schools (85%) returned usable questionnaires. The Spearman Correlation Coefficient was used to analyze the data. Statistically significant relationships were found between (1) formal consulting and time spent on instructional development activities and (2) school library media specialists' importance rating and time spent on instructional development activities.
A sub-sample of six schools were selected for the telephone interviews, and additional information on how school library media specialists consult with teachers was obtained.
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