October 31, 2011

I have really enjoyed the readings for the gatekeeper discussion. My favorite article was Will the Least-Adult Please Stand Up? The idea of being an ethnographer is fascinating; to completely emerge yourself in a culture. The challenge of observation while being an active participant is tricky. How would an ethnographer deal with a bullying situation? Would they step out of their least-adult role and miss the opportunity to gain research or would they step in? Maybe it would depend on your topic of study.

I am very curious as to whether or not the parents or students had any choice in this research. The government of Taiwan is much different than our democratic society, they do not value autonomy as we do. I realize that for an adult to immerse themselves in the child's culture the barriers of language and culture close the gap. But, is it ethical of the researcher to continue with the research if the parents and children were not given a choice?

October 29, 2011

It is October and I am up to my ears in the Summer Library Program! Yesterday for work I attended the annual workshop put on by the state library to support local libraries and their summer efforts. After all the reading I have done for my 2 assignments, I am looking at the program a little differently. I don't feel the need to pull rabbits out of hats to get people to programs, but I do want to draw more people into the building to use our services. My goal for next summer is to somehow measure what we do and accomplish. I want hard numbers to support what works and what doesn't, so I am not just going through the motions and doing things how they have always been done. The research does not come down clearly against extrinsic incentives, but suggests that they harm long term motivation.

Again, my question is, what is the library's purpose for the summer program? Is it to make life-long readers, to promote reading for the summer, or free fun activities for the community. The answer to that question will affect what our program looks like. One article mentioned that we could do "summer reading" all year long. And, I think that is where I am leaning. Why pull out all the stops for only 6 weeks ? Encouraging reading and providing access to books is a year long goal and I want my department to reflect that.

Items to Research

• Investigate what research has been done since 2009 on the effects of incentives on SRP-Suzanne Stauffer claims in 2009 article that none has been done.
• Public library summer reading programs and the reading gap
• Search Terms: summer reading programs and public library-Academic Search Premier

October 23, 2011

According to Suzanne Stauffer in the article Summer Reading Incentives: Positive or Pernicious, the precursor to giving away rewards for reading started with the Library Club of America in 1955. The LCA was founded by the Book Manufacturers Institute. I did a quick Google search and couldn't find the Library Club of America, but the Book Manufacturers Institute is still around and celebrating its 77th year. After only a quick perusal of the site, they exist to support all aspects of the book industry.

This makes me ponder whether or not the original promotion in 1955 of membership pins, buttons and certification for reading was a way to promote the selling of books and not necessarily to promote reading. If so, then we have loosely based our efforts to promote reading on a marketing plan. Is this good or bad? I'm not sure if it is positive or pernicious, but it has had an impact on our efforts to promote reading. For a marketing plan, this incentive strategy works. Customers need a short term reward to aid their purchasing decisions, but what about the long term?

If reading is so important, should we use any means necessary to 'turn kids onto reading?' The research shows positives and negatives associated with extrinsic rewards. I wonder about the moral question. Should we bribe children or adults to use a skill that will serve them their entire lifetime? Is it for the good of society. Not sure I'll solve that question this semester, but it is interesting to follow the links in the chain and see where you end up.

October 23, 2011

Sources for further reading about Summer Library Programs and Incentives:

• Punished by rewards: The trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, A's, praise and other bribes by Alfie Kohn

October 13, 2011

Because of time constraints I have worked at finishing my Distributed Research Assignment and now am working on the lecture and reading materials. I wish I would have interacted with the readings either before or during my assignment. While reading the research articles I kept wondering how working with children could be quantified, they are so diverse in abilities, development and personality. Reading the Ellis article gave me a better understanding of a recommended way to gain reliable results from children. One of the most unexpected findings of the class readings has been the interpretive value of research. The researcher is not an invisible entity observing and reporting results. The researcher is part of the process and has a large effect on the result, specifically in qualitative research. My reading for the Distributed Assignment found that different studies produced different results when trying to research similar issues. There are tons of variables when working with children, but I think the researcher and their treatment of the subjects and how they approach the study is just as great a factor.

October 9, 2011

I am surprised by the research about incentives. A ton of studies have been done about reading motivation, but very little about the effect of the type of rewards or the choice of rewards. There are so many variables that I'm not sure a definitive answer can be found. Children have different learning styles and skill levels, so the research participants will never be completely homogeneous. Reading is a skill just like playing an instrument or sport. What about the kids who just aren't good at reading. Will they respond to an intrinsic or extrinsic reward. Barbara Marinak states in Intrinsic Motivation and Rewards: What Sustains Young Children's Engagement with Text? That extrinsic rewards have had some positive effect on reluctant readers. In my Materials for 5-8 class, we read a book about reading that explored the idea of reading as a skill that not everyone will attain at the same level. Chapter one in Representing Youth briefly discusses the idea that research on teens is not pure, developmental stages are taken into account. So many things bouncing in my head. Hopefully further reading will help connect the dots.

October 4, 2011

The research articles I have read indicate that interaction with an adult is a huge motivator to kids for reading. This has helped me to view my job differently. I read to an after school group each Monday. Yesterday, after I read to the group, a couple girls asked if we could read together. Normally, I would say yes and spend a small amount of time with them. The reason I would only spend a small amount of time is that I am so behind. We are down two staff members currently and we were spread very thin before that. But, after reading about how important a culture of reading is to motivating readers, I decided yesterday than my priorities needed an adjustment. As a librarian my goal is to help patrons gain access to materials and in the case of children, gaining access means wanting to read! I spent a blissful 20 minutes reading and listening and having a very positive experience with these two elementary girls. Several boys kept walking past and checking out what was happening. I would like to think that that 20 minutes will have some effect in each of their reading lives.

October 2, 2011

While reading, A Never-Ending Story: Action Research Meets Summer Reading, the author makes the point that achievement during the school year is similar between students from differing socio-economic backgrounds. But, due to issues of access, there is a disparity in achievement during the summer months. I have come across this fact in several articles while working on my Distributed Research Assignment. The research also suggests that after the issue of access is met, that choice is an important determiner for free reading. The article discusses 'action research' as a way librarians or teachers can do their own research. I would like to investigate further and see if anything like this has been done in a public library setting. This information really shines the light on the need for collaboration between the school and the public library.