scholarly journals Treasure Hunt in the Library: An Exercise in Academic Literacy

10.28945/3092 ◽  
2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Langley
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
World View ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Academic Publications ◽  
Literacy Course ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents an Academic Literacy course designed for first year students in our department. The course is based on a set of relevant reading materials and covers knowledge levels and classification systems, logical and physical library organization principles, physical and virtual search for publications, bibliographic citations and referencing methods and purposes. The paper describes two, out-of-class, activities related to the academic and public libraries in the information age. The first activity, the “Book Hunt”, organizes the students’ conceptions of the variety of functions being served and the impact of information technology on retrieving academic publications. Students’ response to a reflective assignment dealing with concepts and impressions is described. The second activity “Visiting a public library”, involves interviewing the librarian and writing a report on the structure and functions of the library. The paper discusses features of students’ reports and indicates the contribution of the activities to the students’ academic world view.

scholarly journals Getting Past the Gateway: An Exploratory Case on Using Utilitarian Scientific Literacy to Support First-Year Students At-Risk of Leaving STEM

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Chambers ◽  
Salter ◽  
Muldrow
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Students At Risk ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
Literacy Course ◽  
The Impact

First-year students who enter college pursuing a STEM degree still face challenges persisting through the STEM pipeline (Chen, 2013; Leu, 2017). In this case study, researchers examine the impact of a utilitarian scientific literacy based academic intervention on retention of first-year students in STEM using a mixed methods approach. A sample (n = 116) of first-year students identified as at-risk of not persisting in STEM were enrolled in a for credit utilitarian scientific literacy course. Participants of the semester long course were then compared with a control group of first-year students identified as at-risk of persisting in STEM. A two-proportion z test was performed to assess the mean differences between students and participants of the course were given a survey to gauge student experiences. Quantitative results (φ 0.34, p < 0.05) indicate that the utilitarian scientific literacy course had a statistically significant impact on retention among first-year students at-risk of persisting in STEM. Moreover, qualitative data obtained from participant responses describe internal and external growth as positive outcomes associated with the intervention.

scholarly journals Open Online Assignment Submission: First Year Students' Behavior and Views

10.28945/3230 ◽  
2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Langley ◽  
Miky Ronen ◽  
Shlomit Ben Shachar
Keyword(s):  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Open Forum ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Student Access ◽  
Literacy Course

The Open Assignment Submission (OAS) is an innovative regime whereby students submit homework assignments of an appropriate nature into a designated open forum provided by the Learning Management System (LMS). Our previous research, carried out with a cohort of Education graduates, indicated possible benefits and challenges of OAS as a means of supporting assignment submission through learning from peer examples. The current paper presents a recent explorative case study into the behaviour patterns and views of 55 first year students regarding OAS, during the very early stages of the Academic Literacy course. Drawing on two main data sources (a self-report questionnaire and data of student access and submission retrieved from the course LMS records) we have found characteristic patterns of peer-example viewing, assignment submission schedules and related grades. The OAS regime appears to provide an appreciated learning support and has a potential to promote intentional learning.

scholarly journals Reading competency of first-year undergraduate students at University of Botswana: A case study

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beauty B. Ntereke ◽  
Boitumelo T. Ramoroka
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Reading Levels ◽  
First Semester ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
Students First ◽  
Literacy Course ◽  
The University

The ability to read and interpret textbooks and other assigned material is a critical component of success at university level. Therefore, the aims of this study are twofold: to evaluate the reading levels of first-year students when they first enter the university to determine how adequately prepared they are for university reading. It is also to find out if there will be any significant improvement after going through the academic literacy course offered to first-year students. The participants were 51 first-year undergraduate humanities students enrolled in the Communication and Academic Literacy course at the University of Botswana. The data were collected through a reading test adopted from Zulu which was administered at the beginning of the first semester. The same test was administered at the end of the semester after the students had gone through the academic literacy course to see if there was any difference in performance. The findings of this study indicate that there is a mixed and wide variation of students reading competency levels when students first enter the university and that a significant number of first-year entrants are inadequately prepared for university reading.

scholarly journals Bridging the gap: blending spatial skills instruction into a technology teacher preparation programme

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diarmaid Lane ◽  
Sheryl Sorby
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Technology Teacher ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn recent years, there has been a surge in research in spatial thinking across the international community. We now know that spatial skills are malleable and that they are linked to success across multiple disciplines, most notably Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). While spatial skills have been examined by cognitive scientists in laboratory environments for decades, current research is examining how these skills can be developed in field-based environments. In this paper, we present findings from a study within a Technology Teacher preparation programme where we examined first-year students’ spatial skills on entry to university. We explain why it was necessary to embed a spatial skills intervention into Year 1 of the programme and we describe the impact that this had on students’ spatial scores and on academic performance. The findings from our study highlight a consistent gender gap in spatial scores at the start of the first-year with female students entering the Technology Teacher preparation programme at a lower base level than male students. We describe how we integrated spatial development activities into an existing course and how an improvement in spatial scores and overall course performance was observed. The paper concludes by discussing the long-term sustainability of integrating spatial interventions within teacher preparation programmes while also highlighting the importance of future research to examine spatial skills as a fundamental component of technological capability.

Public libraries digital services and sustainability issues

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Michnik
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Physical Spaces ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how Swedish local politicians perceive the impact of public library digital services on public libraries and to discuss how this can affect the sustainable development of public libraries. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews with local politicians from 19 different Swedish municipalities. Data were treated to qualitative content analysis and discussed based on the concept of sustainable organization. Findings – According to local politicians, public library digital services may affect public libraries through changes to libraries’ physical spaces, librarians’ tasks and competencies and libraries’ economic situations. Based on these findings, public library digital services can both strengthen and weaken public library sustainability through, for example, increased access and expenditures, the latter of which may threaten public library sustainability. Research limitations/implications – Interviews did not focus specifically on the politicians’ views on public library digital services but dealt generally with their views on public libraries. To identify reasons for variations in views on this topic, follow-up interviews should be done. Data on views from public library managers would also be of use to determine the degree to which they are shared with local politicians. Originality/value – When sustainability and public libraries are discussed, the focus is generally on the library’s contribution to a sustainable society. Here, the focus is instead on the sustainability of the public library itself.

scholarly journals THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING INDEX CARD MATCH IN TEACHING VOCABULARY

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Sri Ariani ◽  
Tri Setianingsih
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Method ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Index Card ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Post Test ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

This research aims to find out Is there any significant differences between the impact of traditional teaching method and using Index Card Match in teaching English vocabulary at the First Year Students of SMA HANG TUAH 3 MATARAM and to find out does using Index Card Match have a positive effect on students’ vocabulary knowledge. The sample of this research is 40 students. The kind of this research is experimental research. The students are divided into two groups such as experimental group and control group. Then the research subjects are pre-tested to know their prior vocabulary mastery. After the treatment, the sample is post-tested to know their recent vocabulary mastery as the result of the treatment. The scores in both pre-test and post-test are taken as the main data of the research. The data is analyzed by using t-test.

scholarly journals The Impact of Feedback on Students’ Autonomous ESP Learning Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-339
Author(s):  
Natalia Yevheniivna Dmitrenko ◽  
Iuliia Oleksiivna Budas
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
University Course ◽  
Learning Competence ◽  
The Impact

The present paper provides the results of the feedback influence on students’ autonomous ESP learning. It is aimed to study the impact of feedback on autonomous learning outcomes of first-year students, who are studying a two-year university course of “English for Specific Purposes (ESP)”, the significant part of which is dedicated to self-regulated learning. The aim of the course is to improve the students’ proficiency in professionally oriented English communication to the level of B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The investigation has proved the importance of teachers’ support in students’ autonomous ESP learning. The outcomes of those students who received the feedback regularly signify that even being self-sufficient, students strive for teachers’ or peer observation and feedback in the educational process. In the article, the interdependence between the level of students’ autonomous ESP learning competence and students’ feedback literacy is presented. The results of the study suggest that students’ autonomous ESP learning outcomes are considerably influenced by supportive external written feedback if it is sought, and their feedback literacy level is at least moderate or higher. A higher level of students’ feedback literacy is observed among students with a more advanced level of autonomous ESP learning competence and who demonstrate better academic achievements in professionally oriented English communication. The coherence of the elaborated levels of Ukrainian students’ feedback literacy and the ways of its enhancing can be significant for educators in other countries.

scholarly journals Kaupapa Māori in New Zealand Public Libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Luqman Hayes
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Indigenous Worldviews ◽  
Kaupapa Māori

<p>It is nearly two decades since Tui MacDonald first studied the experience of Māori in New Zealand libraries. Since then libraries have seen many changes and embraced challenging initiatives in creating public spaces which reflect much of the biculturalism of New Zealand society. Bilingual signage has been erected, awareness and obligations to the Treaty are generally better accepted and understood, and Te Rōpū Whakahau has helped to ensure there is a growing professional Māori presence in our libraries. But is that enough? Should biculturalism not be aiming to integrate Māori values and concepts in the ideals of the organisation? Should biculturalism not reflect an equal representation of both the Pākehā (non-Māori) and the Māori worldview in the way information is organised, customers are greeted and activities are carried out in the library? This research project explores the deeper commitments to biculturalism by examining the extent to which kaupapa Māori, or Māori knowledge frameworks, value systems, and a Māori worldview form part of a wider bicultural strategy within public libraries in Aotearoa. The study highlights the bicultural achievements being made in public libraries as well as exploring the evolutionary and transformative challenges which lie ahead for the sector in striving towards an epistemological and cultural balance. Data for this research was collected using a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews with a selection of library leaders chosen from a purposive sample of public library services in New Zealand. The findings suggest a degree of inconsistency around the integration and understanding of kaupapa Māori concepts and practice, depending on location and demographic. They indicate that while there are personal, organisational and resource barriers to fully incorporating a kaupapa Māori, including a lack of Māori seniority within the industry, these limitations stem from political and historical roots which relate to colonialism in Aotearoa and the commitment to, and interpretation of, the Treaty of Waitangi. The results also reveal an aspiration for advancing the bicultural agenda and for exploring new paradigms for reshaping European designed public libraries in ways which integrate indigenous worldviews. As a contribution to the library and information sector body of knowledge, the subject has significance not only within New Zealand but globally, particularly in relation to the incorporation of indigenous worldviews in library design, development and delivery. Opportunities for further research include exploring Māori representation in public library management, options for altering library classification systems and collection arrangements to integrate indigenous worldviews and staff experiences of kaupapa Māori.</p>

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