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Several instruments previously validated for use in school library research were tested for their appropriateness in the context of public libraries' summer reading programs for youth. The researchers were also interested in whether the connection between perceived competence in one's own information skills and perceived competence in one's own reading skills, as found in school library research, might also exist for participants in public library summer reading programs. In addition, a separate research question explored whether youth participants connected the summer reading program to increased confidence and improvement in their reading abilities. Findings suggest that reliable measures that can be used in the context of both school and public libraries may be beneficial for future collaboration and coordination in youth programming both in and out of school. Findings also suggest that summer reading programs foster self-perceptions of improved reading ability

This article takes a retrospective look at a Center for Digital Literacy (CDL) program called E*LIT which stands for "Enriching Literacy through Information Technology." E*LIT was created by CDL director, Dr. Ruth V. Small. Every year for the past six years, the E*LIT Competition has inspired students in and around Central New York to create technology-based projects about a selected living author's life and works. After 6 years, the program comes to an end. The authors explore the impact of the project on its participants and consider how the spirit of the project, enriching literacy through technology, might be continued in different ways. They focus on the "primary" sources to discover what E*LIT has meant to those involved. The authors hope this article has triggered some ideas in readers for creative ways in which they can enrich literacy through technology in their schools and communities.

AASL's Standards for the 21st Century Learner are based on a number of common beliefs, including the importance of reading and technology skills, and the acknowledgement that the concept of information literacy has indeed become more complex since the last century. The data provided in this article support the importance of considering the dispositions-in-action component of the new standards when planning instruction. Specifically, this article investigates the contributions of perceived competence in information and digital literacy skills, perceived competence in reading, the disposition to read for enjoyment, and the disposition of curiosity, towards actual performance in an information and digital literacy skills knowledge test. Study participants included more than twelve hundred eighth grade students from twenty states. The study is grounded in historical literature on the construct of curiosity and on self-determination theory. Implications for curriculum design are discussed. The research was supported by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. (Contains 9 tables.)

This study investigated the case-based method (CBM) instructional-design theory and its application in designing self-directed online instruction. The purpose of this study was to validate and refine the theory for a self-directed online instruction context. Guided by formative research methodology, this study first developed an online tutorial based on 13 design assumptions synthesized from the CBM literature. The researchers then formatively evaluated the online tutorial as a design instance of CBM through two iterations of design, evaluation, and revision. The major findings included: (1) perceived value of various CBM design features, (2) benefits and limitations of applying CBM in the tutorial design, and (3) validation and revision of a set of generic and context-specific CBM design assumptions. These findings extend our understanding of CBM to the context of self-directed online instruction and provide useful insights and practical guidance to inform instructional design practices.

Just as with print resources, as the number of Web-based resources continues to soar, the need to evaluate them has become a critical information skill for both children and adults. This is particularly true for schools where librarians often are called on to recommend Web resources to classroom teachers, parents, and students, and to support students who must select and use appropriate Web resources for homework assignments and classroom activities. Because of the dynamic, interactive nature of Web-based resources, new tools are required that encompass a broader concept of evaluation, beyond assessing authority and accuracy of content, soundness of functionality (Alexander and Tate 1998; Nielsen 1994), and value-added information design characteristics, such as currency and coverage (Taylor 1986). Tools used to evaluate the Web today also must be able to assess the website's ability to engage and satisfy, or what the authors (2000) call its "motivational quality." Motivation explains why people choose certain activities over others. One of the most widely researched and applied motivation theories, Expectancy-Value (E-V) Theory (Fishbein 1963), specifies that a person's motivation depends on his or her perceived value of and expectation for success at a given task. In this article the authors explain how they used E-V Theory to describe characteristics of websites that might stimulate a person's motivation to visit, explore, and revisit websites (Small and Arnone 1999) and went on to develop a set of unique instruments, based on E-V Theory, originally called WebMAC (Website Motivational Analysis Checklist). Herein they describe why WebMAC was innovative, why it wasn't adequate, and how WebCHECK: The Website Evaluation Instrument (a.k.a. WebCHECK) was developed. The revised evaluation system includes four new updated instruments: (1) WebCHECK Junior for lower elementary students (sixteen items); (2) WebCHECK Middle for upper elementary/middle school students (twenty-four items); (3) WebCHECK Senior for high school students (thirty-two items); and WebCHECK Professional for educators (forty-eight items). The authors discuss how WebCHECK addresses WebMAC's shortcomings, how WebCHECK's scoring system works, pilot testing that was conducted, and what can be found on the WebCHECK website.

This paper identifies the need for developing new ways to study curiosity in the context of today's pervasive technologies and unprecedented information access. Curiosity is defined in this paper in a way which incorporates the concomitant constructs of interest and engagement. A theoretical model for curiosity, interest and engagement in new media technology-pervasive learning environments is advanced, taking into consideration personal, situational and contextual factors as influencing variables. While the path associated with curiosity, interest, and engagement during learning and research has remained essentially the same, how individuals tackle research and information-seeking tasks and factors which sustain such efforts have changed. Learning modalities for promoting this theoretical model are discussed leading to a series of recommendations for future research. This article offers a multi-lens perspective on curiosity and suggests a multi-method research agenda for validating such a perspective.

Reading is often thought of as a skill, something to be learned and practiced. But reading can also be considered a creative art, capturing the imagination of the reader in ways that result in creative thought and expression. School librarians have a unique opportunity not only to support classroom-based reading skill building but also to serve as reading advocates and role models to foster students' creative, lifelong reading habits. Through the school librarian's enthusiasm for and joy of reading as a creative activity, students learn that reading is a pleasurable activity, one to cherish and continue throughout their lives. In this article, the authors discuss how school librarians can create a library in which creative reading activities thrive.

This article discusses the implication of the study involving school librarians regarding how they perceive dispositions for learning and social responsibility. It also presents descriptive results of the most common areas discussed by participants, and provides anecdotal data from the transcripts and some subjective impressions of the researcher. The author concludes that with social responsibility so frequently mentioned, it is possible that when some respondents were discussing dispositions that were most important they may also have been referring to those that needed the most attention. Social responsibility was the most cited disposition and it also brought out more frustration than most of the other dispositions--frustration with students and sometimes teachers. (Contains 1 figure.)

Discusses the importance of motivational effectiveness in Web design and highlights features of engaging children's Web sites. Describes the development of an instrument--the Website Motivational Analysis Checklist (WebMAC)--designed to evaluate children's Web sites using feedback from elementary school-age children. Discusses the procedures, scoring, and testing of the instrument. (AEF)

The effects of variations in learner control were examined for an interactive lesson presented as a videodisc visit to an art museum. The 101 first and second grade subjects were assigned to program control, learner control, and learner control with advisement conditions, or to a control group. Data on achievement and curiosity were analyzed. (28 references) (MES)

Employing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, such as multiple means of representation (of content), multiple means of engagement (motivation) and multiple means of expression (sharing the results of research, for example), will put one on the right path toward increasing accessibility for all learners. In this article, the author suggests some of the easier things one can do with little technical experience or budget, and provides two excellent resources for learning more about UDL and accessibility.

Educators have been wrestling with copyright issues for some time. In fact, in developing the S.O.S. for Information Literacy site, the project team had to face the issue with respect to how to handle all those lesson plans in the database and all the images, clipart, and materials that educators upload to the database as support materials for their lesson plans. There are several copyright issues with which educators need to be familiar. In this article, the author provides a brief introduction to three types of copyright issues: (1) public domain; (2) fair use; and (3) intellectual property, and offers suggestions of where one can find some public domain sites for acquiring photos, clipart, and other media for use in S.O.S. lessons.

Describes WebMAC instruments, which differ from other Web-evaluation instruments because they have a theoretical base, are user-centered, are designed for students in grades 7 through 12, and assess the motivational quality of Web sites. Examples are given of uses of WebMAC Middle and WebMAC Senior in activities to promote evaluation and critical-thinking skills. (AEF)

Describes WebMAC Junior, a tool developed to provide elementary students in grades one through four with hands-on experience in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of Web sites. Discusses Web evaluation criteria and includes ideas for incorporating Web evaluation into the curriculum that promote information literacy. (LRW)

Applying the expectancy-value theory of motivation to the Web environment, a site that stimulates the interest and curiosity of the user and provides meaningful content and activities may be considered a valuable Web site. The authors developed evaluation instruments that are intended for use by educators and students from grade one through college to assess the Web sites they use for teaching and learning. (AEF)

Describes a set of evaluation tools that help elementary, middle, and high school students evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Web sites and may also be used to guide the design of new Web sites. Discusses motivation and includes ideas for incorporating Web evaluation into information skills instruction. (LRW)

Explains AWArds (Awesome WebSite Awards), a program to encourage educators to collaborate on lessons that teach young children how to evaluate the Web sites they encounter. Students themselves nominate sites for the AWArds, and a panel of judges selects winners in three categories. (LRW)

The School of Information Studies at Syracuse University has long been an innovator in library and information science education, including the establishment of the field's first Web-based with limited residencies library and information science distance learning program in 1993. This article describes Syracuse's school library education (both distance and campus-based) in terms of developing student competence through a competency-based curriculum, bringing research into the classroom, and the use of technology for teaching and learning; fostering creativity through inquiry and "scholarship in action"; and building a community of inquiry among school library faculty, students, and practitioners through the use of social media and a variety of inclusive techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical to inquiry-based learning is information literacy. Educators can enhance students' experiences during the inquiry process if they are aware of the skill areas in which students either have or lack confidence. This article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Perceived Competence in Information Skills (PCIS) measure. Educators can use the measure to support student inquiry by identifying and addressing gaps in student confidence. The measure is freely available through Syracuse University's Center for Digital Literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Association of School Librarians' Standards for the 21st Century Learner make clear that information skills alone are not sufficient for student success; students must also value those skills, use them in a productive and responsible manner, and have the motivational "dispositions in action" to support successful research and independent lifelong learning. Self-determination theory highlights perceived competence and autonomy as two basic psychological needs that support intrinsically-motivated behavior. This study investigates the extent to which context factors inherent to the school library influence students' perceived competence in the domain of information skills (PCIS), and their intrinsic motivation for research (IMR). The study explores this relationship among 1272 eighth grade 13-year old students in 20 states. Findings indicate that student perceptions of their school librarian's autonomy supportiveness and their perceptions of the librarian's technology competence contribute significantly to PCIS and IMR. These findings are important in that they highlight the important role that the school librarian may play in influencing student affect towards the activity of information uses and research, and likely their consequent learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]