Vehicles of Logics: The role of policy documents and instructional materials in reform

To understand the complexities of education policy implementation, it is necessary to consider how artifacts associated with reform are imbued with ideas, meanings, and values. This empirical paper draws on neo-institutional theory to reveal how artifacts carried particular logics (D’Adderio in J Inst Econ 7(2):197–230, 2011; Feldman and Pentland in Adm Sci Q 48:94–118, 2003; Pentland & Feldman in Ind Corporate Change 14(5):793–815, 2005; in: Scott, Institutions and organizations, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, 2001). This paper argues that two types of artifacts, policy documents, and instructional materials, carried logics of reading instruction, thereby playing a role in the implementation of this reform. This paper draws on qualitative data collected over a 13-month period in order to advance our understanding of the relationship between institutional logics, policy, and practice. The findings from this paper have implications for district and school reform, as well as for policymakers and non-system actors.     

The effectiveness of blended online learning courses at the community college level

Whether through the use of online-only or hybrid/blended formats, colleges and universities across the country are increasingly utilizing online platforms as a medium for the delivery of instruction. At the same time, we know little about how student learning outcomes are related to students’ engagement with online instructional formats. In particular, few studies have evaluated online learning in community colleges, and fewer yet have employed an experimental or quasi-experimental design to do so. In this research, we use propensity score matching to compare learning gains between community college students enrolled in blended courses, (courses that combine online instructional delivery with traditional classroom-based instruction) with gains experienced by students receiving only classroom-based instruction. Among students enrolled in blended courses, we also consider which aspects of student use of online instructional materials are most strongly associated with student learning. While some evidence has suggested significantly poorer outcomes for community college students enrolled in online-only courses, our results suggest that students enrolled in blended courses perform similarly, if not better, relative to students in a traditional instructional setting. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

“It’s Everybody’s Job”: Youth and Adult Constructions of Responsibility to Take Action for School Change through PAR

The Urban Review - Participatory action research (PAR) with youth holds potential to spur social justice-oriented change due to its explicit orientation to transform systemic inequity. Whereas...     

Books as archival objects

This paper reflects on the place of books in archival collections and outlines the methodology used to incorporate Germaine Greer’s publications and personal library in the Greer Archive. Identification and inclusion of metadata documenting context, significance to the creator and relationships to other records in the Archive, demonstrate the value that can be added to bibliographic records.     

Using Practitioner-engaged Evidence Synthesis to Teach Research and Information Literacy Skills: A Model and Case Study

Service learning connects learning in the classroom to real-world experience and presents opportunities for deeper library engagement in the curriculum and the teaching of critical information literacy. We present a model for teaching research and information literacy skills in the service learning context, making use of the evidence-based practice paradigm and engagement with community partners and practitioners in the field, connecting academic research to real-world practice and problem-solving. This model addresses some of the challenges of ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education and is adaptable to various disciplines and educational environments.     

Sharing the value and impact of outreach: Taking a multifaceted approach to outreach assessment

Although outreach is a common activity in academic libraries, little has been written about strategies for assessing library outreach efforts. Assessing outreach efforts is important in order to measure the success of the outreach activity, identify areas for iterative improvement, and demonstrate the value of the outreach activity to stakeholders. This article is a case study describing the multifaceted strategies employed to assess a major outreach event, Texas A&M University Libraries annual Open House event. It details demonstrating value and programmatic improvement as the articulated goals for outreach assessment as well as the specific strategies used and the insights gleaned from each assessment strategy.     

Task-centered activities as an approach to data collection in research with children and youth

Children and youth are important populations for research and practice in library and information science. However, comparatively little research has been conducted that directly engages with the perspectives of these groups, particularly when children younger than school age are considered. Task-centered activities, a type of data collection method used in the field of childhood studies, offer a means of conducting research with children and youth in a manner that builds on their strengths and competencies. Specific examples of task-centered activities include arts-based approaches; photography; drama, play, and games; child-led tours; diaries; and participatory activities. The benefits and limitations of these activities are explored, as well as their prior and potential application in library and information science.     

Does Chronic Classroom Peer Rejection Predict the Development of Children’s Classroom Participation During the Grade School Years?

A sample of 398 children was followed up from ages 5 to 12 to investigate the relation between peer group rejection and classroom participation. The participation trajectories of individuals and groups of children who were rejected for differing periods of time were examined both during and after rejection using piecewise growth curve analyses. The results showed that whereas during periods of rejection, children exhibited negative or negligible growth in participation, when nonrejected, they manifested positive growth. These findings corroborated the hypothesis that (a) peer rejection creates constraints that inhibit children's classroom participation and (b) the cessation of rejection enables children to become more active and cooperative participants in classroom activities.     

Co-rumination in the friendships of girls and boys

This research addresses a new construct, co-rumination. Co-rumination refers to extensively discussing and revisiting problems, speculating about problems, and focusing on negative feelings. Friendship research indicates that self-disclosure leads to close relationships; however, coping research indicates that dwelling on negative topics leads to emotional difficulties. Co-rumination is a single construct that integrates both perspectives and is proposed to be related both to positive friendship adjustment and problematic emotional adjustment. Third-, fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade participants (N = 608) responded to questionnaires, including a new measure of co-rumination. Co-rumination was related to high-quality, close friendships and aspects of depression and anxiety. Girls reported co-ruminating more than did boys, which helped to account for girls' more positive friendship adjustment and greater internalizing symptoms. Other analyses addressed whether co-rumination and the related constructs of self-disclosure and rumination had different relations with friendship and emotional adjustment.