What Works Volume 31, Number 1, October 2003
Ken Haycock
School Libraries and Student Achievement
Research Finding:
School libraries can have a positive impact on student
achievement – whether such achievement is measured
in terms of reading scores, literacy or learning more
generally.
Comment:
Research studies conducted since 1990 show that school
libraries can have a positive impact on student achievement—whether
such achievement is measured in terms of reading scores,
literacy or learning more generally—in the following
key ways:
- A strong library program that is adequately
staffed, resourced and funded can lead to higher student
achievement
regardless of the socio-economic or educational levels
of the adults in the community;
- A strong computer network connecting the library’s
resources to the classroom and laboratories has an
impact on student achievement;
- The quality
of the collection has an impact on student learning;
- Test
scores are higher when there is higher usage of the
school library;
- Collaborative relationships between classroom
teachers and school librarians have a significant impact
on learning,
particularly in relation to the planning of instructional
units, resource collection development, and the provision
of professional development for teachers;
- A print-rich
environment leads to more reading and free voluntary
reading is the best predictor of comprehension,
vocabulary growth, spelling and grammatical ability
and writing style;
- Integrating information literacy into the
curriculum can improve students’ mastery of both
content and information seeking skills; and that
- Libraries
can make a positive difference to students’ self-esteem,
confidence, independence and sense of responsibility
Source:
Lonsdale, Michele. (2003). Impact of school libraries
on student achievement: A review of the research. A
report for the Australian School Library Association.
Melbourne, Victoria: Australian Council for Educational
Research. Retrieved Aug. 5, 2003, from http://www.asla.org.au/research/index.htm.
|
