7.3 Student learning through
Todd, R. & Kuhlthau, C.
It is very hard to say how effective something is without having a specific study, some kind of way to measure effectiveness. This study tries to measure effectiveness by asking the students if they felt like they were helped by the library. While one can assume that the students will be honest, it is easy to say "yes, i use the library and it has been very helpful" when you have never actually used it. It is also possible that classes were coached beforehand on the importance of the library or had their answers otherwise influenced by faculty or staff members. While that isn’t really what we want to think about having happened, it is possible in any case.
Another flaw in the study was the use of a Likert scale to determine degree of helpfulness. Other than it not allowing for extra comments, the scale used did not offer space for “does not apply” and seemed to have a positive slant. It is obvious that those conducting the study were going for a specific result. While I agree with their result (and their bias), the study could be taken more seriously if this were adjusted to include more options.
While the study has its flaws, it is positive however that the students seem to understand the importance of the library. As the students seemed to think that the library was helpful to them, it is obvious they understand that it is needed. If they did not understand how important it was they may have not been as quick to say it was helpful (even if it wasn’t, or they couldn’t cite a specific instance in which it was helpful. The fundamental importance of the library must have occurred to many of the students answering the survey, and it is shown in the results.
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