Abstract
School libraries serve an important role; however, elementary students who attend schools online typically do not have a school library. This study followed an online school’s inaugural year in instituting a library. A mixed methods approach examined data from focus groups, interviews, surveys, library-use records and oral reading fluency scores. Stakeholders had various goals from “to get books into the hands of the students” to teachers requesting that Library be a special class to encourage reluctant readers to access the resources. It was found that students who accessed the libraries most were those who were already motivated readers. The findings suggest that access to libraries alone was not enough to motivate students to use the resources. Rather, to empower students to access libraries, a librarian is needed to serve as an instructional partner, an information specialist, a teacher and a program administrator.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Braxton, B. (2008). The teacher-librarian as literacy leader. Teacher Librarian, 35(3), 22–26.
Church, A. R. (2011). School librarians as teacher leaders. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 77(3), 10–12.
Common Core State Standards Initiatives. (2012). English language arts standards. Retrieved on 12/11/2014 from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy
Crowe, E. C., Connor, C. M., & Petscher, Y. (2009). Examining the core: Relations among reading curricula, poverty, and first through third grade reading achievement. Journal of School Psychology, 47(3), 187–214. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2009.02.002
Gambrell, L. B., Palmer, B. M., Codling, R. M., & Mazzoni, S. A. (1996). Assessing motivation to read. Reading Teacher, 49(7), 518. doi:10.1598/RT.49.7.2
Hagans, K. S. (2008). A response-to-intervention approach to decreasing early literacy differences in first graders from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 34(1), 35–42. doi:10.1177/1534508408314170
Hixson, M. D., & Mcglinchey, M. T. (2004). The relationship between race, income, and oral reading fluency and performance on two reading comprehension measures. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 22(4), 351–364. doi:10.1177/073428290402200405
Hohlfeld, T. N., Ritzhaupt, A. D., Barron, A. E., & Kemker, K. (2008). Examining the digital divide in K-12 public schools: Four-year trends for supporting ICT literacy in Florida. Computers & Education, 51(4), 1648–1663. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.04.002
Hunter, P. C. (2004). Classroom libraries level the playing field. Instructor (New York, N.Y.: 1999), 113(5), 36–40, 71.
International Association for K-12 Online Learning. (2013). Fast facts about online learning. Vienna, VA: iNACOL: International Association for K-12 Online Learning.
Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2012). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Krashen, S. (2006). Free reading. School Library Journal, 52(9), 42–45.
Lebens, M., Graff, M., & Mayer, P. (2009). Access, attitudes and the digital divide: Children’s attitudes towards computers in a technology-rich environment. Educational Media International, 46(3), 255–266. doi:10.1080/09523980903135467
Lee, E. A., & Klinger, D. A. (2011). Against the flow: A continuum for evaluating and revitalizing school libraries. School Libraries Worldwide, 17(1), 24–35.
Martinez, D., & Peterson, T. (2008). Digital discrimination: Combating prejudice in the online classroom. Paper presented at the Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2008, 3500–3504. Retrieved on 12/11/2014 from http://www.editlib.org/p/30170
McTague, B., & Abrams, B. (2011). Access to books: A scaffolded program creates readers. Reading Improvement, 48(1), 3–13.
Moreillon, J., Cahill, M., & McKee, R. (2012). State library conferences as professional development venues: Unbalanced support for the AASL-defined roles of the school librarian. School Library Research, 15
Pearson Education, I. (2013). Reading Street Common Core 2013. Retrieved 12/11/2014 from http://pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS1gC9
Popp, P. A. (2004). Reading on the go! Students who are highly mobile and reading instruction. .National Center for Homeless Education.
Rasinski, T. V. (2009). The lost art of teaching reading. College Reading Association Yearbook, (30), 66–73.
Revenaugh, M. (2005–2006). K-8 virtual schools: A glimpse into the future. Learning in the Digital Age, 63(4), 60–64. Retrieved on 12/11/2014 from http://imoberg.com/files/K-8_Virtual_Schools_--_A_Glimpse_into_the_Future_Revenaugh_M._.pdf
University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning. (2011). DIBELS (dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills). Retrieved 12/11/2014 from https://dibels.uoregon.edu/market/assessment/dibels
White, T. G., & Kim, J. S. (2008). Teacher and parent scaffolding of voluntary summer reading. The Reading Teacher, 62(2), 116–125. doi:10.1598/RT.62.2.3
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hibbard, L., Franklin, T. Libraries in Online Elementary Schools: A Mixed-Methods Study. TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS 59, 85–91 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-015-0857-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-015-0857-7