The purpose of this paper is to outline findings of a recent MSc study into electronic article provision in interlending and document supply presented to the Robert Gordon…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline findings of a recent MSc study into electronic article provision in interlending and document supply presented to the Robert Gordon University in June 2007.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is primarily based on data from questionnaires circulated to UK ILL departments (in academic, public, industrial, health and special libraries), recent users of ILL in a UK academic library and library managers within UK academic HE and public libraries.
Findings
Electronic document delivery was found to be used by half of libraries who responded: it was widespread in academic libraries, but seldom used in public libraries where demand for articles is comparatively low. Academic users appreciate the move to desktop delivery and the trend towards electronic delivery of articles in ILL is expected to grow in the future.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is based on a survey data of libraries and users (in an academic environment) in the UK and Ireland. As such it provides a snapshot of the situation and represents the views of the participants at that time.
Practical implications
The user survey shows that, in an academic context, users welcome the move to desktop delivery.
Originality/value
This paper provides a snapshot of the prevalence of, and attitudes to, electronic article delivery within the UK and Ireland.
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Cameron A. Hecht, Stacy J. Priniski and Judith M. Harackiewicz
As intervention science develops, researchers are increasingly attending to the long-term effects of interventions in academic settings. Currently, however, there is no common…
Abstract
As intervention science develops, researchers are increasingly attending to the long-term effects of interventions in academic settings. Currently, however, there is no common taxonomy for understanding the complex processes through which interventions can produce long-lasting effects. The lack of a common framework results in a number of challenges that limit the ability of intervention scientists to effectively work toward their goal of preparing students to effectively navigate a changing and uncertain world. A comprehensive framework is presented to aid understanding of how interventions that target motivational processes in education produce downstream effects years after implementation. This framework distinguishes between three types of processes through which interventions may produce long-term effects: recursive processes (feedback loops by which positive effects can build on themselves over time), nonrecursive chains of effects (“domino effects” in which proximal outcomes affect distinct distal outcomes), and latent intrapersonal effects (changed habits, knowledge, or perceptions that affect how students respond in different situations in the future). The framework is applied to intervention research that has reported long-term effects of motivation interventions, evidence for the processes described in this framework is evaluated, and suggestions are presented for how researchers can use the framework to improve intervention design. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how the application of this framework can help intervention scientists to achieve their goal of positively influencing students’ lifelong trajectories, especially in times of change and uncertainty.
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Men make war; women make peace. Men make war; women make children. Men make war because women make children. Because men make war, women make children. Women make peace because…
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are…
Abstract
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.
Judith M. Harackiewicz, Yoi Tibbetts, Elizabeth Canning and Janet S. Hyde
We review the interventions that promote motivation in academic contexts, with a focus on two primary questions: How can we motivate students to take more STEM courses? Once in…
Abstract
Purpose
We review the interventions that promote motivation in academic contexts, with a focus on two primary questions: How can we motivate students to take more STEM courses? Once in those STEM courses, how can we keep students motivated and promote their academic achievement?
Design/methodology/approach
We have approached these two motivational questions from several perspectives, examining the theoretical issues with basic laboratory research, conducting longitudinal questionnaire studies in classrooms, and developing interventions implemented in different STEM contexts. Our research is grounded in three theories that we believe are complementary: expectancy-value theory (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002), interest theory (Hidi & Renninger, 2006), and self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988). As social psychologists, we have focused on motivational theory and used experimental methods, with an emphasis on values – students’ perceptions of the value of academic tasks and students’ personal values that shape their experiences in academic contexts.
Findings
We review the experimental field studies in high-school science and college psychology classes, in which utility-value interventions promoted interest and performance for high-school students in science classes and for undergraduate students in psychology courses. We also review a randomized intervention in which parents received information about the utility value of math and science for their teens in high school; this intervention led students to take nearly one semester more of science and mathematics, compared with the control group. Finally, we review an experimental study of values affirmation in a college biology course and found that the intervention improved performance and retention for first-generation college students, closing the social-class achievement gap by 50%. We conclude by discussing the mechanisms through which these interventions work.
Originality/value
These interventions are exciting for their broad applicability in improving students’ academic choices and performance, they are also exciting regarding their potential for contributions to basic science. The combination of laboratory experiments and field experiments is advancing our understanding of the motivational principles and almost certainly will continue to do so. At the same time, interventions may benefit from becoming increasingly targeted at specific motivational processes that are effective with particular groups or in particular contexts.
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Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Judith Torney-Purta and John Schwille
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
Abstract
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.
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There is a great deal of interest in the environment these days, and while much of that interest focuses on saving the world, a lot of it relates to learning about nature. Field…
Abstract
There is a great deal of interest in the environment these days, and while much of that interest focuses on saving the world, a lot of it relates to learning about nature. Field guides are among the most popular natural history guides for the general public; it sometimes seems that almost every household must have at least one lurking in a corner. There are an incredible variety of field guides available for inquiring naturalists. The well‐known Peterson, Golden, and Audubon series and the typical bird, flower, and tree guides are just the tip of the iceberg.
Discusses the life and works of the poet Robert Herrick(1591‐1674). Notes that by 1625 Herrick was evidently well known enoughto be ranked with the great writers of the age in a…
Abstract
Discusses the life and works of the poet Robert Herrick (1591‐1674). Notes that by 1625 Herrick was evidently well known enough to be ranked with the great writers of the age in a contemporary elegy on the death of James I where he is compared with Jonson and Drayton. Concludes that Herrick′s best poetry speaks as clearly to modern readers as it did to his own contemporaries.