How 9th Grade Curriculum Changes Have Negatively Impacted the LMC Information Literacy Curriculum

1. How 9th Grade Curriculum Changes Have Negatively Impacted the LMC Information Literacy Curriculum 2010 Survey of 9th Grade GPHS Students Peter G. Mohn, LMS June 2010

2. Introduction • Tremendous curricula and physical changes have taken place since the 2005 survey of 9th grade students • SFC closed, GPHS opened • Social Studies teachers switched from teaching World History to WA State History (a semester course) • English department revamped its 9th grade curricula • Physical science teachers dropped it 9th grade research project • Ag science changed its curricula to match Physical science curricula to prepare for HSPE exam

3. Introduction cont. • 9th grade teachers compete with three other grades for LMC resources • Expansion of Internet sources changed research processes • Increase of computer access from 16 to 52 thin client workstations • 9th grade students reading books has dropped • Have these changes impacted the effectiveness of the LMC program?

4. Literature Review • Research studies since the 1950s demonstrate school libraries have a significant impact on student achievement • 20 state-wide library studies have been conducted since 1999 • Todd, Kuhlthau and OELMA’s 2004 Student Learning Through Ohio School Libraries student survey looked at how school libraries actually help students • 2004 & 2005 SFC student surveys used this study to determine if the SFC LMC was an effective library program (it was an effective library program)

5. Literature Review cont. • Effective school library programs have these characteristics: • Adequate and appropriately credentialed library and support staff • School librarians’ involvement in collaborative learning and instructional design centering on information literacy • Developing print and digital collections and identifying resources for classroom teachers • Motivating students to read • Administering a curriculum-centered library program • Facilitating access through responsive school library hours, flexible scheduling, and information technology (for catalogs, databases, and World Wide Web).

6. Hypotheses • H1 = There is no difference between the student survey percentages of the 2005 and the 2010 9th grade studies. • H2 = There is no difference between the student survey means of the 2005 and the 2010 9th grade studies. • H3 = There is no difference between the “Most Helpful” percentages of the 2005 study and the 2010 9th grade studies. • H4 = There is no significant differences between the block means of the 2005 9th study and the 2010 9th grade study. • H5 = There is no significant different between gender usage of the 2005 9th grade study and the 2010 9th grade study.

7. Results • H1 = There were significant differences between the student survey percentages of the 2005 and the 2010 9th grade studies • 11 of the 2010 survey statements for percentages of students helped were lower by more than 10% than in 2005 • 22 of the 2010 survey statements for percentages of students helped were lower between 5% and 10% than in 2005 • 2 of the survey statements had helpful percentages above 90% (14 for 2005); 29 of the survey statements had helpful percentages above 80% (23 for 2005) • The vast majority of these decreases in the LMC helping students were in the core missions of school libraries • Information retrieval for students’ needs • Using information to complete school work • Helping students with their school work • Student general reading interests

8. Results • H2 = There were significant differences between the student survey means of the 2005 and the 2010 9th grade studies • Individual means for each statement in the first 34 statements were lower by as much as half a point on a five point Likert scale • 2010 survey had slightly higher means under general reading but they were not at significant levels • Causes for this drop include an increase in percentages of students marking No Help on survey • Fewer students marking Most Helpful and Quite Helpful to each survey statement • Largest drop in responses were for statements in • Information retrieval for students’ needs • Using information to complete school work • Helping students with their school work • Providing information help when not at school

9. Results • H3 = There were significant differences between the “Most Helpful” percentages of the 2005 study and the 2010 9th grade studies • 12 of the 2010 survey statements for “Most Helpful” were lower by more than 10% than in 2005 • 16 of the 2010 survey statements for “Most Helpful” were lower between 5% and 10% than in 2005 • Most Helpful for computer programs & helping students find stories they liked were more than 5% higher in 2010 • The greatest decreases in “Most Helpful” responses were in: • Information retrieval for students’ needs • Using information to complete school work • Helping students with their school work

10. Results • H4 = There were significant differences between the block means of the 2005 9th study and the 2010 9th grade study • There were significant differences in the first three block means to the P<0.0005 level in the 2010 survey • Information retrieval for students’ needs • Using information to complete school work • Helping students with their school work • There were significant differences in Block 6: Providing information help when not at school mean to the P<0.01 level in the 2010 survey • Though the block means were lower in the other block means they weren’t at a significant level: • Using computers • General reading • General academic achievement

11. Results • H5 = There is no significant different between gender usage of the 2005 9th grade study and the 2010 9th grade study. • The helpfulness of the LMC shows no significant differences between genders in both studies • Females in the 2010 study had the same decrease in using the LMC as males did compared to the 2005 student survey in survey percentages, individual survey means and in all block means.

12. Conclusions • Changes in the 9th grade curricula between 2005 and 2010 has significantly impacted how the LMC helps students with its core mission • Research projects for 9th grade students are almost non-existent in 2010 • What research assignments that do exist are assigned by individual teachers & are not department-wide • Research is limited to reference level questions; little demand for students to critically think about issues • Students increase (not at significant levels) in using LMC for general reading • Student decrease in using LMC for reading non-fiction books • Increase in the number of computers aiding students in their school work • Using Google for research only • Increase of English dept for using LMC as a writing lab • No instruction on evaluating web resources • For 9th grade students the LMC is no longer an effective program to help them with their academic achievement

13. Recommendations • Vertical alignment of secondary information skills curriculum • Use Common Core State Standards for research to identify short and sustained 9th grade research assignments • Implement department-wide research assignments using identified short & sustained 9th grade research assignments • Expand information resources used by 9th grade students to include non-fiction books, reference sources, premium databases, magazines, newspapers, conference papers, transcripts and Internet resources (Common Core goal) • Conduct survey of high school seniors to see if the LMC has been effective in helping students with their academic achievement