Screen time study

 A recent study found that reducing screen time among children and teens led to fewer behavioral difficulties, with noticeable decreases in peer-related and emotional issues and improvements in positive social interactions. Findings showed that the total difficulties score, which measures behavioral and emotional issues, decreased by an average of 1.67 points more in the intervention group than in the control group.

Schmidt-Perrson, J. (2024). Short-term screen time reduction improves mental health in children and adolescents. JAMA Network Open. 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/short-term-screen-time-reduction-improves-mental-health-2024a1000d19?form=fpf

College readiness research

Findings from a study (First-Years' Information Literacy Backpacks: What's Already Packed or Not Packed?) examined college research readiness among first-year college students in New Jersey. The authors analyzed qualitative responses from a survey of 325 students using inductive coding. They identify a taxonomy of information literacy skills in three levels: information management, critical thinking, and metaliteracy. Based on their findings and the identified needs of students in the transition from high school to college, the authors propose several implications for instructional designers, including further using learning management systems, incorporating inquiry-based learning, teaching advanced search techniques, and assessing or measuring information literacy skills. The authors suggest further attention to critical thinking, inquiry, and metacognitive approaches in information literacy instruction for K-12 and academic librarians. The authors also propose several areas for future research, such as developing collaborations between high school and academic librarians, examples of successful or innovative instruction, and measurements of information literacy

 Boyer, B., & Dziedzic-Elliott, E. (2023). What I had, what I needed: First-year students reflect on how their high school experience prepared them for college research. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102742 

International School Library Studies

 Five recent studies on school libraries, four from Australia and one global one, examine copyright, collection development, information literacy, reading, staffing and services. 

1. Discovering a good read: Exploring book discovery and reading for pleasure among Australian teens 
   
   
2. ‘Being a Global Citizen’: Australian Secondary Teacher Librarians in the Changing Information Landscape 
   
   
3. Curate, advocate, collaborate: Updating a school library collection to promote sustainability and counter eco-anxiety 
   
   
4. Academic integrity and copyright literacy policy and instruction in K-12 schools: A global study from the perspective of school library professionals 
   
   
5. The 2023 Softlink Australian School Library Survey Report

Broadley, A., & Manuell, R. (2024, May 24). Researching education: 5 further readings on school libraries. Teacher Magazine.

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/researching-education-5-further-readings-on-school-libraries 

Print vs Digital Reading Study

A new study found that when students read digital texts for leisure it had almost no impact on their reading comprehension. This study was an analysis of 25 studies, published between 2000 and 2022, involving about 470,000 participants from at least three dozen countries. Given the minimal connection observed between digital leisure reading and reading comprehension, Altamura and her co-authors estimate that if a student spends 10 hours reading in print in their free time, their ability to comprehend will likely be six to eight times higher than if they read on digital devices for the same amount of time. 

Altamura, L., Vargas, C., & Salmerón, L. (2023). Do New Forms of Reading Pay Off? A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Leisure Digital Reading Habits and Text Comprehension. Review of Educational Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231216463

Literacy Development Review

The IMLS commissioned a review of research literature that examines the effects of motivation to read and within reading programs in communities and, particularly, public libraries.” The report “identif[ies] research studies that focused on the effectiveness of reading strategies that emphasized motivations when promoting reading. This study summarizes several evidence-based practices tied to increasing motivation used during programs, instructional practices, and family engagement activities which are focused on child literacy and community participation.”

Guven, O., & Haddah, Y. (2024). Research on motivation, literacy, and reading development: A review of best practice. ILMS. 

https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/research-motivation-literacy-reading-development-report.pdf

Reading Instruction Report

 Drawing on the spring 2023 American Instructional Resources Survey, the authors examine teachers' use of foundational reading activities in their instruction. These activities correspond to the four foundational reading skill domains for kindergarten-through-grade-5 students that are set forth in the Common Score of State Standards: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency.

The authors compare teacher responses by grades taught, characteristics of their schools and classrooms (e.g., students' race or ethnicity, English language proficiency, disability status), and by state policy context.

Key Findings

• Roughly two-thirds of elementary and one-third of middle and high school English language arts teachers frequently engaged their students in foundational reading activities.
• Secondary teachers who served schools with a majority of students of color and who taught classes with more than 10 percent English learners were more likely to engage their students in these activities.
• Elementary teachers with many students with Individualized Education Programs were less likely to frequently engage their students in these activities.
• Secondary teachers in states with reading legislation were significantly more likely to frequently engage their students in these activities than those in other states.

Shapiro, A., Lee, S., Woo, L. (2024).  Exploring foundational reading skill instruction in K12 schools. RAND.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA100/RRA134-23/RAND_RRA134-23.pdf

Academic integrity, copyright in K-12 schools

 569 school library practitioners in 85 countries participated in a study to investigate the current landscape of academic integrity and copyright literacy policies and instruction in K–12 schools. The researchers identified challenges and opportunities in this crucial domain, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to teaching academic integrity and copyright literacy regardless of the specific curriculum followed by each school. The study found that many K-12 schools lack policies on academic integrity and copyright, with variability in teaching practices, highlighting the need for improved education and collaboration between school library professionals and teachers. 

Hossain, Z., Celik, O., & Hertel, C. (2024).  Academic integrity and copyright literacy policy and instruction in k-12 schools: a global study from the perspective of school library professionals. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 4, article no. 4.

https://edintegrity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s40979-024-00150-x