The purpose of this research was to investigate the differences between librarians' and school administrators' perceptions of the role of the school librarian as a teacher and instructional leader. Dating back to the 1960s, standards for school libraries proposed that the library is a cooperative area for teachers and students. As time passed, standards for school library programs were revised so that the roles of the librarian and the library have become more instructionally centered. Currently, standards specify that librarians function both as teachers and instructional leaders (AASL, 2009). This study surveyed Tennessee administrators and school librarians regarding their perceptions of librarians' roles
The major finding of this study is that no differences appeared between school administrators and librarians regarding librarians' roles as teachers and instructional leaders; both groups agreed that librarians are essential instructional personnel in schools. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to compare perceptions in school administrators and school librarians' of the librarian's roles as an instructional leader and teacher of information literacy skills across four constructs of (i) collaborating between librarians and teachers, (ii) teaching students to use library resources, (iii) contributing in staff development, and (iv) using standardized student data. There were no significant differences in the proportions of administrators' and librarians' perceptions regarding the librarians being instructional leaders in schools. Both groups agreed that librarians' roles include the following: instructional leaders, master teachers, members of leadership councils, participants in professional developments, and collaborators with educator groups. These findings are encouraging, as they indicate that administrators support what librarians do, and perceive them to be part of the schools' instructional staff
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest, 2017
