Teachers' approaches to finding and using research evidence: an information literacy perspective

Background The use of research evidence produced by others is seen as central to the reflective practice of school teachers. There have been many recent UK initiatives aimed at improving access to research evidence, but there are still concerns about the lack of engagement by teachers. Previous research has looked at this issue from different perspectives, including the content and relevance of educational research, the relationships between researchers and teachers, accessibility and presentation of research and the culture of the school. The research presented here seeks to make a contribution to understanding the diffusion of research in the teaching profession by examining the issues from an information literacy perspective.

Purpose This paper examines the use of research information by UK school teachers, placing an emphasis on their information literacy—i.e. teachers' strategies and confidence in their abilities to find, evaluate and use research information, which is defined as the published output of a planned piece of research.

Sample Survey data were collected from 312 teachers and 78 head teachers from nursery, primary and secondary schools in Scotland, England and Wales. The sample included a wide range of teaching experience, ages, subject responsibilities, school locations and sizes, although there was a bias towards teachers who were motivated to use research evidence. Interviews were conducted with 28 teachers from primary, secondary, nursery and special education schools, and a further 15 teachers took part in group exercises. Interview and group exercise samples were more varied in their levels of research involvement.

Design and methods A mixed methodology was used. The questionnaire survey sought background data on more general attitudes towards research, as well as data on information access and confidence in finding and using general and research information. This was supplemented by qualitative evidence on information strategies and experiences from scenario or vignette interviews. Group exercises in which teachers discussed their responses to specific examples of research information were useful in focusing on strategies for evaluating information.

Results While survey respondents were, on balance, positively motivated towards the use of research evidence, their actual use of information from research was limited. They considered the most prominent barriers to their use of research information were associated with lack of time and lack of ready access to sources. This is likely to be a limiting factor in terms of the development of teacher confidence in finding, evaluating and using the kinds of information sources which are increasingly available to support their professional development. In fact survey evidence from the more research-motivated sample indicated that teachers were considerably less confident in finding and using research information than general information. Their confidence was slightly higher in finding research information (e.g. 67.1% and 60.9% were either confident or very confident in defining information needs and locating information respectively) compared to using research information (for example, 56.5% were either confident or very confident in organizing and synthesizing information). However, evidence from the more mixed interview and group exercise samples also revealed a range of concerns about lack of skills and knowledge needed to search and evaluate information effectively.

Conclusions The findings suggest that information literacy may be a factor in limiting the use of research information, exacerbating the perceived challenges of lack of time and lack of ready access to information sources. From an information perspective, teachers' use of research evidence is likely to be enhanced by greater development of information literacy; more attention to local information dissemination strategies; and the development of an information culture and ethos within schools.     

Overexcitabilities and ADHD in the Gifted: An Examination

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Revising the ISSN Standard: The Challenge of Change

ABSTRACT

The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) has been the standard, eight-digit code used to identify newspapers, journals, magazines, and periodicals on all kinds of media—print and electronic—for the past 40 years. Periodically, the standard must be revised to allow it to accommodate new formats, changes in the publishing industry and information supply chain, and other developments in the information field. Regina Romano Reynolds, director of the U.S. ISSN Center at the Library of Congress, describes the issues that the ISSN International Centre perceives as necessitating a revision of the standard and the likely next steps in the International Organization for Standardization standards revision process.     

Studying for Exams Just Got More Relaxing—Animal-Assisted Activities at the University of Connecticut Library

In recent years, academic libraries have expanded their traditional focus on intellectual and scholarly pursuits, with many libraries now initiating programs that support student growth, development, and wellness. Although providing animal-assisted activities to college students is a fairly new concept, the social and therapeutic benefits of pet ownership or simply interacting with a companion animal are well documented. The University of Connecticut's Homer Babbidge Library on the Storrs campus chose to support the physical and emotional well-being of students during the stress-filled week of finals by providing therapy dogs. Student interaction and feedback were overwhelmingly positive.     

Teenage girls' perceptions of the functions of relationally aggressive behaviors

Adolescent girls reported on their experiences both as perpetrators and as victims of several distinct forms of relational aggression. Details of these incidents were gathered from 114 ethnically diverse ninth and tenth graders via a secure online survey. The frequency with which girls perpetrated or were targeted for particular acts of relational aggression was assessed and, based on the responses, a computer program randomly selected one item (i.e., gossip, ignoring, or exclusion) for which each girl was asked to recall a specific experience and answer follow‐up questions. Perceptions of the goals and functions of specific relationally aggressive acts were assessed, as well as how the perpetrator or victim felt at the time of the incident. Ignoring or “giving the silent treatment” appeared to be a unique form of relational aggression inasmuch as the girls perceived different motives, or functions, for ignoring compared with gossip and exclusion and felt worse at the time of the ignoring incident, both when they were reporting as aggressors and as victims. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.