The Effects of a Special Motivational Library Program on High School Students’ Library Use and Attitudes

A Special Motivational Intervention Program and Junior High School Students’ Library Use and Attitudes

“…Students not only need to become familiar with the "facts" of the library-that it is a useful repository of information-but also to realize that it can be a pleasant, positive resource for enriching one's life, experiences, and personal growth. A special library-based program incorporating "fun-type" activities rather than teaching traditional library skills has been shown to have significant effects at the elementary school level and appears to have promise at the junior high school level as well (Schon, Hopkins, Everett, & Hopkins, 1984). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a special school-library-initiated and library-based motivational program on junior high school students' library use, library/librarian attitudes, and reading attitudes.…”

“…Library use was monitored by having each experimental and control student "sign in" each time the library was used, indicating the intended use (study, resource/research, class activity, or free time). As anticipated from an earlier study (Schon et al, 1984), the students frequently needed to be reminded to "sign in. "…”