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

Global Digital Reading Report

Sora, the student reading platform from OverDrive, published “its first annual reading report of worldwide student digital reading data for the 2022-2023 school year.” “The State of K-12 Digital Reading,” which is available to download for free after registering, “reveals compelling regional differences, double digit growth in Comics and Graphic Novels and a surprising insight on which months tracked the most time spent reading.”

Key findings include the following:

Digital reading in K-12 schools has increased significantly over the past few years. Since 2019, total usage (based on digital book checkouts) has grown 286 percent as the number of schools using the Sora platform more than doubled. In 2022-23, usage continued the trend with 12% growth.

Reading sessions on the Sora reading app were up more than 8 percent compared to the previous school year (2021-2022), with total books read per student increasing by 3 percent.

The ebook format accounted for 84 percent of titles opened during the ’22-’23 school year, while audiobooks remain popular with 14 percent. Comics and graphic novels have contributed to the strong ebook usage, more than quadrupling in checkouts and jumping from 31 to 42% of total ebook checkouts since 2019.

For more information, read the press release at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/student-ebook-usage-breaks-records-302105186.html.

2024 School Library Budget and Spending Survey

 The School Library Journal's annual budget and spending survey's 2024 findings show stable budgets (although depending more on state and federal money than on local funding) and more spending on print books less spending on ebooks, now that most schools are back to in-person instruction. School librarians also spent money on upgrading their furniture. With book bans and challenges becoming more prevalent, school librarians are sometimes needing to get more approvals for spending choices. More details can be found in the full article.

Cockcroft, M. (2024, April 4). Spend it if you can. School Library Journal. 

https://www.slj.com/story/spend-it-if-you-can-SLJ-2024-school-library-budget-survey

Parents' Perceptions of LIbraries

Three national surveys asked parents and guardians about their perception of librarians' trustworthiness as professionals and curators of a library collection and their attitudes toward books and book bans. ​

"Top-level findings from the Parents Perception Report are:

• 85% of respondents say they trust librarians.
• 58% of parents think public librarians should be primarily responsible for what books are selected for the public library as opposed to elected officials, library boards, or parent groups.
• 92% of respondents say libraries are safe spaces for their children.
• 75% of respondents do not believe their libraries are experiencing book bans.
• 67% of respondents feel that book bans infringe on their rights to make decisions for their children.
• 75% of respondents report that neither they nor their child have checked out a book from the library that they felt was inappropriate.
• 63% of respondents agree or somewhat agree that “banning books is a waste of time” at the public library. 
• 57% of respondents say banning books from the school library is an appropriate way to prevent children from learning about certain topics. 
• 80% of respondents agree that "school libraries should have content rating systems.
• 95% of respondents want to see a school library in their child’s school. 

The increase in book bans is a concerning trend threatening the democratic values of freedom of expression and access to information. The survey report should inform librarians about curating content and creating policies that align with community values and expectations, as well as inform policymakers and educators about making decisions that reflect the actual views of parents rather than those of special interest groups." (from Every Library Institute).  

McGehee, M., & Chrastka, J.(2023). Parents' perception survey series final report. Every Library Institute. 

https://assets.nationbuilder.com/votelibraries/pages/6280/attachments/original/1705534711/Parent_Perceptions_Final_Report_-_ELI_and_BR_-_17_January_2024.pdf?1705534711

Early digital reading and reading stamina research

Early frequent reading online can negatively impact reading stamina. Recognizing letters and matching them to their associated sounds is a vital part of learning to read. Being read to and reading practice results in automacity between 5 and 7 years old. when this combination skills is delayed, it makes it harder to read, which impacts reading stamina. Early exposure to digital text can be overstimulating and can lead to more passivity and distraction, which impedes focus. Even when presented as a host of “learning activities,” electronic devices do not benefit toddlers cognitively, she said. “The screens move too fast for them. At that age, children need an adult to sit beside them to mediate the information, to communicate the information.”

Horowitz-Kraus T, Rosch K, Fotang J, Mostofsky SH, Schlaggar BL, Pekar J, Taran N, Farah R. Fluent contextual reading is associated with greater synchronization of the visual and auditory networks, fluent reading and better speed of processing in children with dyslexia. Cortex. 2023 Nov;168:62-75. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.07.007. Epub 2023 Aug 17. PMID: 37660660.