Hazel Hall, Bruce Martin Ryan, Rachel Salzano and Katherine Stephen
The purpose of the empirical study was to examine whether strategies shown to work well in one model of network development for library and information science (LIS) practitioners…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the empirical study was to examine whether strategies shown to work well in one model of network development for library and information science (LIS) practitioners and researchers could be applied successfully in the development of a new network and contribute to the narrowing of the research–practice gap in LIS.
Design/methodology/approach
Overall, 32 members of a new professional network were surveyed by a questionnaire following the completion of a programme of four network events held between 2019 and 2021.
Findings
The analysis demonstrates the transferability of the existing model of network development to a new network and that it can be successfully adapted for online delivery of network events and activities.
Practical implications
The criteria deployed for the evaluation of the new network could be used in other similar settings. Funding bodies can also use these findings as demonstration of the value of their investment in network grants.
Originality/value
This contribution on means of growing collaborative networks to narrow the LIS research–practice gap stands out in contrast with prior research that tends to focus the support of research productivity of academic librarians in North American universities for the purposes of career development. Here wider aspects of research engagement are considered of value for LIS practitioners from a range of sectors and institutions, beyond North America, for purposes that are broader than personal advancement.
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Angelina N. Kuleshova and Alysia D. Roehrig
To describe how a defined video reflection prompt for preservice mathematics teachers shaped their reflective writing, which was examined using academic reflection as a genre…
Abstract
Purpose
To describe how a defined video reflection prompt for preservice mathematics teachers shaped their reflective writing, which was examined using academic reflection as a genre model.
Methodology/approach
Academic reflection as a genre model was used to unpack the reflective processes evident in preservice teachers’ written reflections on a practicum teaching experience in the context of a methods course assignment, prior to any formal instruction about reflective genre. This chapter examines how the quality of participants’ reflective writing corresponded with two promising products of reflection – the accuracy of participants’ claims about the effectiveness of instructional tasks used during teaching and the quality of suggested revisions to the lesson.
Findings
The findings indicate that the extent to which participants engaged with the required parts of the assignment corresponded with the accuracy of their claims about the effectiveness of instructional tasks and the quality of revisions they suggested to the lesson. The authors discuss the writing produced by the participants, providing examples from their reflections to demonstrate preservice teachers’ initial competencies in using genre.
Practical implications
Informed by the nature of writing produced by the participants, the authors extend the model of reflection as a genre and suggest how it could be used to teach preservice teachers to effectively structure reflective writing. Furthermore, the authors offer recommendations for how to define the video reflection prompt to serve as a more effective scaffold of preservice teachers’ analysis of student learning.
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This paper aims to examine barriers to information literacy (IL), including: language use, social structures, and the neutrality‐advocacy dilemma.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine barriers to information literacy (IL), including: language use, social structures, and the neutrality‐advocacy dilemma.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper critical analysis is used to discuss: effect of language used on audience reach; cognitive locus assumptions in IL standards and oversight on structural factors; opportunities for libraries to overcome IL barriers. Arguments are substantiated with theories and research from sociology, psychology, and education.
Findings
Effective diffusion of IL depends on using common language and being relevant to learners. However, knowledge differences between librarians and the public can make finding common language challenging. Additionally, by assuming information illiteracy in people, the term may convey negative‐evaluation, which may negatively affect learners' sense of competence and motivation for learning, and result in ineffective learning. Extracurricular/civic activities in schools are rich settings for effective learning, but structural factors, often overlooked by proponents of IL, constrain students' opportunities for civic participation. Fortunately, the library provides a sense of relatedness to students and has the potential to support conditions for effective learning in civic contexts.
Research limitations/implications
Propositions have not been empirically tested in IL contexts.
Practical implications
The paper proposes ways to address barriers to information literacy and calls for empirical research.
Social implications
The paper legitimizes librarians to play advocacy roles for students' civic engagement.
Originality/value
No literature in information literacy examines in‐depth the effects of its language choice and cognitive locus on audience reach. This paper integrates theories from sociology, psychology, and education, to argue how language choice and social structures constrain IL attainment and proposes ways to address those barriers.
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Film provides an alternative medium for assessing our interpretations of cultural icons. This selective list looks at the film and video sources for information on and…
Abstract
Film provides an alternative medium for assessing our interpretations of cultural icons. This selective list looks at the film and video sources for information on and interpretations of the life of Woody Guthrie.
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Vaughn Schmutz, Sarah H. Pollock and Jordan S. Bendickson
Previous research suggests that women receive less critical attention and acclaim in popular music. The authors expect that gender differences in the amount and content of media…
Abstract
Previous research suggests that women receive less critical attention and acclaim in popular music. The authors expect that gender differences in the amount and content of media discourse about popular musicians occur because music critics draw on the cultural frame of gender as a primary tool for critical evaluation. In order to explore the role of gender as a frame through which aesthetic content is evaluated, the authors conduct detailed content analyses of 53 critical reviews of two versions of the popular album 1989 – the original released by Taylor Swift in 2014 and a cover version released by Ryan Adams less than a year later. Despite Swift’s greater popularity and prominence, the authors find that reviews of her version of the album are more likely to focus on her gender and sexuality; less likely to describe her as emotionally authentic; and more likely to use popular aesthetic criteria in evaluating her music. By contrast, Ryan Adams was more likely to be seen by critics as emotionally authentic and to be described using high art aesthetic criteria and intellectualizing discourse. The authors address the implications of the findings for persistent gender gaps in many artistic fields.
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Chieh‐Chen Bowen, Beth Ann Martin and Steven T. Hunt
The current study extends previous research by comparing empirical data on ipsative and normative versions of the 30‐scale Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ)…
Abstract
The current study extends previous research by comparing empirical data on ipsative and normative versions of the 30‐scale Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ). Participants were randomly assigned to “honest” or “faking” groups. Results support the proposition that when the number of scales is large, the measurement dependency problem associated with the ipsative format is negligible. There was satisfactory convergent validity between ipsative and normative forms in both groups. On both forms, the distance between an ideal profile and participants' ratings were narrower in the faking group than in the honest group. The results suggest that though ipsative measures were not completely free from faking, they were relatively more effective in guarding against faking than more commonly used normative measures.