Report on the Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement

5.4 Other

Relatively few studies seem to have focused on the impact of school libraries on particular groups of students, such as those with disabilities or from a non-English-speaking background. Murray (1999) looks at how school library programs can foster confidence, self-esteem and independence in students with disabilities who are attending mainstream schools. Drawing on interviews with school library staff, special education teachers and students from fourteen primary and secondary schools in Victoria and New South Wales, Murray found that the school library provided opportunities for students with disabilities to work collaboratively with others, exercise independence, and feel accepted. The study also found that many students had experienced success in learning information skills. Other elements that appeared to contribute positively to the improved confidence and self-esteem of students with disabilities were collections that promoted value and acceptance of disability; accessible technological resources, such as CD-ROM reference tools, which helped students refine a topic and search more efficiently; and engaging students as library monitors. In some case-study schools students were given responsibility for undertaking small jobs in the library, such as shelving or issuing books to other students. In one school the library provided placement for work experience for older students. The study shows a number of ways in which school libraries can contribute to the personal growth of students with disabilities, and thus indirectly enhance their capacities to learn and become more independent.

Dyer (2001) reports similar positive results from a training program for student volunteers in a high school library in Sydney. Through her action research project she has been able to document cases of 'poor achievers and students with low self-esteem who have grown visibly . We have seen our crew of Vietnamese, Afghanis, Serbians, Arabs and Anglos learn the principles of community service and information management and retrieval while they have picked up computer literacy skills that have enhanced their own cognitive development. But above and beyond all that, we have seen them grow emotionally and mature in the eyes of their peers' (p. 3). Such observations suggest that at the very least this is an area that would benefit from further investigation.

A small-scale project aimed at improving students' sense of responsibility for their own learning in an elementary school class shows the difference that a concerted strategy adopted by a library professional and classroom teacher can make. The aim of the project was to foster a greater sense of responsibility so that students could use resources more effectively and improve their group behaviour skills. Woodle, Hartsoe and Taylor (1995) document some of the changes that occurred in their grade three students after a behavioural modification approach was adopted. Using classroom observation sheets, interviews with students and a strong focus on self-evaluation, the project encouraged students to become joint participants in their own learning. Student responses showed a more reflective and focused approach in the classroom.

In his review of the research relating to the educational impact of the school library, Yoo (1998) notes that research on library use by immigrant students is limited. He points out that 'although advocates for school libraries believe the school library is an extremely helpful tool in developing literacy among immigrant students, research has found little support for this claim' (p. 16).

The impact of the school library on the development of the so-called 'soft' skills, on the learning potential of students with disabilities, low-achieving or at-risk students, and for students whose background is non-English-speaking, has not attracted the same degree of interest from researchers as the more easily measured correlation between school libraries and reading test scores. Yet the findings so far suggest that this is potentially a rich field for study.