Affirming our commitment to research: the Medical Library Association's research policy statement: the process and findings

Purpose: Building on its 1995 research policy statement, the Medical Library Association (MLA) has issued a new research policy, The Research Imperative. This paper shares the background research that informed the new policy.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifty-one key informants representing various library types, functions, geographic locations, ages, and ethnicities. The grounded theory approach was used to analyze the resulting textual database. Additionally, to gather input from the membership as a whole, two open forums were held at MLA annual meetings.Results: Key informant data indicated that the policy should provide roles for MLA in leadership, advocacy, collaboration, services, education, publishing, and development of a research agenda. Evidence-based library and information practice was emphasized. Six themes emerged to center the new policy: creation of a research culture, challenges, domains of research, research skills set, roles of stakeholders, and measurement of progress.Conclusion: Reflecting the interests and beliefs of the membership, The Research Imperative challenges MLA members to build a supportive culture that values and contributes to a research base that is recognized as an essential tool for future practice.

Highlights

• The Research Imperative reaffirms the Medical Library Association''s (MLA''s) commitment to research and emphasizes the need to develop health sciences librarianship''s own knowledgebase as a solid foundation for best practices.
• Informants described a growing recognition that health sciences librarians should base their practice decisions on evidence just as the health care practitioners and researchers they serve should.
• A research process that gathered data systematically from the membership guided the policy''s development.
• Members expect the association to monitor progress toward its research goals and report on it annually.

Implications

• The Research Imperative challenges the association and its members to build a culture of reflective practice in which the profession''s evidence base is routinely used.
• To advance the vision articulated in its research policy, MLA must lead by inculcating research throughout the association, identifying a research agenda, advocating for improved access to and support of library and information science research, fostering collaborations, and educating members to better use and conduct their own applied research.
• MLA should leverage its Center of Research and Education (CORE) as a repository for member-generated research, tools, and datasets.

     

Gender, ‘bias’, assessment and feedback: analyzing the written assessment of undergraduate history essays

This paper reports on findings relating to a project on gender and essay assessment in HE. It focuses on one aspect of the study: the assessment of and feedback given to two sample essays by 50 historians based at universities in England and Wales. We found considerable variation both as to the classification awarded to the essays and to positive and negative comments made about their quality, supporting the argument that the ‘quality’ of a piece of writing for assessment is ultimately constructed by the reader of the essay and cannot be objectively ascertained. Gender issues emerging from the data are explored in the paper, relating to lecturers’ perceptions of the essays’ qualities; views concerning the way feedback should be presented; and the content and style of feedback given by lecturers on the sample essays. We found that gender constructions were manifested more in presentation than practice. These findings on the situated practice of assessment have implications for the conception of the ‘reliability’ of essay assessment in HE.     

Exploring How Creating Stop-Motion Animations Supports Student Teachers in Learning to Teach Science

This article reports on an exploration of teaching and learning through creating rudimentary stop-motion animations set up to identify how learning opportunities involving stop-motion animations can support student learning and science teacher education. Participants were student teachers, volunteers representing both secondary and primary school teacher training courses, from three universities in England. Their discussions while making an animation themselves were recorded. Six of the secondary trainees were later interviewed after having taught using animation during placement in school. Thematic analysis of the content of the recordings and interviews showed that the student teachers view the opportunities that making an animation creates for peer discussion as the most likely to promote learning. Modeling was also seen as beneficial, though no one particular activity or stage in animation creation stood out as being more effective than another. It is the holistic process of representing and re-representing one's scientific knowledge in different modes that made animation creation appear to be so useful in bringing about and supporting learning. With respect to teacher education, the student science teachers reported that making animations themselves supported them in thinking through the process of how, as teachers, they would need to communicate the underpinning science to others. (Keywords: animation, teacher education, science teaching )     

Validation of an instrument for assessing teacher knowledge of basic language constructs of literacy

Recent national reports have stressed the importance of teacher knowledge in teaching reading. However, in the past, teachers' knowledge of language and literacy constructs has typically been assessed with instruments that are not fully tested for validity. In the present study, an instrument was developed; and its reliability, item difficulty, and item discrimination were computed and examined to identify model fit by applying exploratory factor analysis. Such analyses showed that the instrument demonstrated adequate estimates of reliability in assessing teachers' knowledge of language constructs. The implications for professional development of in-service teachers as well as preservice teacher education are also discussed.     

Accuracy of Pedometer in Walking and Running

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to examine the accuracy of mechanical pedometers in walking and running. Groups of 20 volunteer subjects were used in each experiment. In experiment 1, subjects wore 4 identical pedometers on the waist during six 1-mile walks on a motor driven treadmill, two at each of 3 speeds: 2, 3, and 4 mph. Experiment 2 required subjects wearing 5 pedometers to perform two 1-mile walks at their own pace under each of two different conditions: (1) on a 400 meter track and (2) along a jogging path over a measured mile. These subjects also completed two 1-mile runs at their own pace over the same measured mile course. In both experiments, a two-way ANOVA with replicates showed significant effects of subjects, condition (speed), and subjects-condition interaction. Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from ?0.13 to 0.81. Results of these studies indicate that the ability of the mechanical pedometer to measure distance is inconsistent. The findings indicate that pedometers are more accurate for some individuals than others. Also their accuracy varies with the speed of walking and is different for walking compared to running.     

Students’ experiences with/in integrated Environmental Studies Programs in Ontario

In Canada there exists a noteworthy educational initiative referred to as Environmental Studies Programs (ESPs). These secondary school programs are interdisciplinary, helping to link subject matter and encouraging student responsibility. The results of three case studies of Ontario ESPs indicate that program participation has ‘real world’ applications and creates a safe space for genuine dialogue and critical reflection, and that students experienced changes in environmental attitudes and behaviors as a result of program participation. These findings offer further documentation of the benefits of integrated ESPs, including increased student engagement, learning experiences that are practical and relevant to students’ lives, experiential learning that is memorable and opportunities for development of social and interpersonal skills.     

Preparing internationally minded business graduates: The role of international mobility programs

The first objective of this paper was to examine the institutional and individual determinants of business students’ participation in international mobility programs (IMPs). Retrospective reports were collected from business graduates of the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada. Respondents reported having received very little information about IMPs from the different institutional sources. Logistic regression analysis revealed that when these institutional factors were present, the likelihood of student participation in IMPs increased significantly. The respondents’ interests in intercultural contact and foreign languages were significant predictors of participation, whereas academic, self-development, and career-related motives were not, contrary to previous findings. The second objective was to measure the perceived effects of participation in IMPs. Three types of effects were reported: self-development, cultural awareness and career advancement. Participation in IMPs had a broader impact on the graduates’ lives and careers than previously reported.     

Further iterations on using the Problem-analysis Framework

A core component of applied educational and child psychology practice is the skilfulness with which practitioners are able to rigorously structure and conceptualise complex real world human problems. This is done in such a way that when they (with others) jointly work on them, there is an increased likelihood of positive outcomes being achieved for clients. The Problem-analysis Framework as discussed in this paper offers one way of working with such complexity which is grounded in a sound knowledge based in applied psychology. This paper provides further clarity on using the framework within applied practice. The authors were all trained in and use the Problem-analysis Framework and now work in many different types of applied settings within Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. This paper illuminates important aspects of the problem-analysis approach itself for those currently learning it, as well as providing an aide-mémoire to those using it and those who want to develop their skills in this area.     

Teaching and learning with ICT within the subject culture of secondary school science

This paper reports some of the findings from the science subject design initiative team in the ESRC Interactive Education Project at the University of Bristol. The subject culture of secondary school science, characterised by a content‐laden curriculum and assessment, but also with a tradition and requirement for practical work, is briefly described to give a picture of the environment in which the use of ICT was planned. Six science teachers, working in UK comprehensive schools, with between 2 and 18 years experience in the classroom planned subject design initiatives (SDI) in which practical work was simulated by software. Team discussions and individual interviews following the SDIs are summarised and early conclusions presented about the resulting shift in pedagogic approach and subject culture.