Date of Award

2008-12-01

Degree Name

EdD Doctor of Education

Dissertation Committee

Fred J. Galloway, EdD, Chair; Robert Donmoyer, PhD, Member; Lee Williams, PhD, Member; Daniel J. Callison, EdD, Member

Keywords

Delphi study, information literacy curriculum, instrument development, Leadership studies, librarians, school community engagement

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable survey instrument to be used by librarians and other educational leaders to measure implementation of a school's information literacy program. The goal was to create an instrument that would consider implementation of a library-centered program within the context and culture of the whole school. Once developed, the survey would identify areas of strength and weaknesses in implementation, allowing schools to design interventions and professional development opportunities to further implementation. A theoretical basis for measuring implementation as well as an initial set of dimensions of implementation was identified during a review of the literature. Existing measures of implementation--New American Schools: Whole School Reform; The Degree of Implementation Scale from character education; and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model—influenced the identification of the dimensions of implementation. A Delphi study--drawing experts from both the fields of library science and educational leadership—was used to further develop the dimensions, to identify specific sets of survey questions for each dimension, and to suggest demographics that might explain differences in implementation. A small pilot group improved the general soundness of the draft instrument and the survey instrument was then administered to random and convenience samples of 326 librarians and teachers. The finalized instrument included a set of 34 questions on school characteristics and another set of 9 questions on implementer activities. A principal components factor analysis revealed a four-factor solution for the thirty-four survey items: (1) program articulation and development, (2) school culture, (3) curriculum and instruction, and (4) librarian as key implementer. Item analysis of factors showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and strong corrected item-total correlations. In addition, inferential techniques like analysis of variance and independent sample t-tests were used to identify demographic differences among the implementation factors; these significant demographic variables included school type, grade levels, language proficiency, FTE librarians, and FTE support staff. The researcher recommends that the instrument be used to evaluate school programs, never the performance of individuals. When the study is replicated, the researcher recommends increasing the sensitivity of the answer choices related to implementer activities.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Education

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