Levelling the Reading Gap

Loh, C. E. (2016). Levelling the reading gap: A socio-spatial study of school libraries and reading in Singapore. Literacy, 50(1), 3-13. doi: 10.1111/lit.12067

Background

School libraries have an important role in supporting literacy activities and in improving academic achievement. However, the author believed that many secondary schools did not deem it a priority to design the library space well so that students could learn effectively.

Aims

The study examined reading policies and practices in two schools by comparing how library spaces in these schools serving different social classes were used and organised for cultivating desired reading practices.

Sample

The author examined two schools: one, an elite all-boys’ school (School A) and the other, a co-educational government school (School B). Students from School A came from homes where English was the dominant language of communication whereas only about 40% of students from School B came from English-speaking homes.

Method

The author collected the following research data: layout and organisation of the library space, time maps of library use, interviews with teachers, students and staff members, student artefacts, school and classroom observation, and surveys. Each school was first treated as a case study and examined independently. The author coded the survey and interview data, and subsequently compared the data about school libraries, students’ backgrounds and practices. With the emerged physical, social and affective framework, she compared the school context, library spaces and students’ responses from both schools.

Findings

The author found that there were inequities in the way library resources were distributed and managed in the two schools. School A’s library was designed and structured to encourage students to engage in inquiry-based learning while School B’s library was more functional in nature. School A’s library was frequently used while School B’s library was often empty and underutilised. School B’s library was often used as an additional classroom space and for detention. There were also differences in the decoration of the library space and the placement of computer resources for online research.

Implications

The author suggested that school libraries serving disadvantaged students be better funded, stocked and staffed so that students would be able to acquire the reading competencies and habits required for learning and academic success. She recommended that the library spaces be reimagined and reorganised for a more equitable distribution of resources. To encourage low-achievers into the library to read and borrow books, the school library should be viewed as a space where students have fun reading and learn to acquire knowledge necessary for academic achievement.

Original article retrieved from Wiley Online Library.