Transcript An Intergenerational Examination of the Impact of the Rural African

An Intergenerational Examination
of the Impact of the Rural African
Village Library in Uganda
GEOFF GOODMAN
VA L E D A D E N T G O O D M A N
L O N G I S L A N D U N I V E R S I T Y, C . W . P O S T C A M P U S
Kitengesa Community Library Overview
Fitting In…
History of the Rural Library Project and Relevant
Research

Uganda, East Africa – Three impact studies (2004, 2005, 2006) conducted at Kitengesa
Community Library (Dent; Dent & Yannotta). Longitudinal study of intergenerational
impact (Goodman & Dent, 2009, in progress)

Burkina Faso, West Africa – Impact study at five rural libraries (Bereba, Dohoun, Sara,
Karaba, and Koumbia) in 2006 & 2007. Surveys at Bereba Secondary School (Dent)

Ghana, West Africa – Impact study at Sherigu and Sumbrungu in 2004 & 2005 (Dent,
Entrup)
Impact Study Findings from Uganda
2004, 2005 Study

The focus group interviews revealed that boys spend more hours reading per week than
girls. However, girls check out significantly more books than boys. One reason for this
discrepancy may be that boys spend more time in the library reading while girls are actually
taking the books home. Boys, in general, spend more time in the library during their breaks at
school than the girls. Traditional sex roles may play into this, as boys are allowed to engage in
activities after school such as football which leaves less time for reading at home, whereas girls
return home after school to help with chores.

Students with a school library read aloud to others in their family more often than those
students without a library. Reading aloud is a key indicator of reading culture development.

Library users spent on average 10.1 hours per week reading non-school related materials.
Leisure reading is another key indicator of reading culture development.

The data also revealed that Kitengesa students who visited the library more often had higher
class ranks than those who did not visit the library as much; this was a pattern that was
repeated across all four secondary school grades.
Impact Study Findings from Burkina Faso
2006, 2007 Study
 Survey - 112 (62 M, 50 F, ages 12 -18) students from Bereba Secondary
School (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th grades). Questions focused on impact of access to
reading materials, library use for school, leisure activities, reading environment,
reading habits, other library use
100% of students reported that they read in their free time
93% said they have reading materials (Bibles, books) at home
Students spend close to two hours per day reading materials not for school
76% of students read to others (family, friends)
94% use library materials to help with their studies, homework, revision
48% reported that a teacher used library materials in class (Bibles and African novels
to teach French, newspapers for History and Geography)
Students spend an average of 8 hours per week in the library
Focus groups revealed that adults in the village would be interested in literacy
classes
Impact Study Findings from Ghana
2004, 2005 Study
 Survey - 559 students in eight schools and 93 adult community members
 Questions focused on impact of access to reading materials, satisfaction with
library, reading environment, reading habits, generational differences
 Findings include reading is primarily for academic, not leisure, purposes
 61% of library users at Sherigu read daily, and 75% of library users at
Sumbrungu read daily
 42% of student respondents from Sumbrungu visit the library everyday
 90% of student respondents use the library to study
 The collection is key. 30% of respondents at Sherigu and 25% of
respondents at Sumbrungu stated that the library could improve by getting
more “interesting books.” The more diversified the library collection, the greater
the impact on reading habits of users
Research Study Overview
This study is designed to test an intergenerational model of the mediational pathways of
adult library usage on the development of a reading culture, improved literacy, and
children’s learning readiness following the establishment of a rural village library.
Specifically, we are hypothesizing that adult patterns of library usage will positively impact
the development of a reading culture, and support the development of enhanced literacy
patterns among these adults, which in turn will predict their young children’s development
of learning readiness skills. A mediational diagram will illustrate these relationships:
Adult library usage  Adult reading culture/literacy  Children’s learning readiness skills
Getting Organized
Maternal Measures
Each mother completed an
hour-long, semi-structured
interview designed by the
researchers. These interviews
sought to establish the extent of
the mothers’ reading habits,
content of reading materials,
motivation for reading,
frequency of library use, and
assess certain demographic
characteristics and cumulative
social-contextual risk. Interviews
were videotaped and transcribed
for coding purposes.
Child Measures
Children completed five tasks
that collectively measured
readiness to learn:
1.The Marble-in-the-Hole Game
2.Pictorial Curiosity Task
3.The Box Mazes
4.The Peabody Picture
Vocabulary Test-IV
5.The Attachment StoryCompletion Task
“Wivin”
“The Pasco Syndrome”
Additional Methods
 Student Focus Groups
(ages 13-17)
Library users and non-users
 Adult Focus Groups
Library users
Model 1: Mediational Model
Model 2: Moderational Model
Model 3: Additive Model
Descriptive Statistics
Descriptive Statistics by Level of Library
Exposure
Correlations Among Variables
Correlations Among Social-Contextual Risk
Variables
Correlations Among Learning Readiness
Variables
What we found: Variation on the Additive
Model
Summary of Findings
1. Cumulative social-contextual risk was positively correlated with level of library exposure (r
= .35, p<.05), specifically, library user status (r = .43, p<.01).
Two explanations:
1) Caregivers with less risk were more likely to be a library user.
2) Library usage (e.g., reading about health, farming) reduces risk.
2. Learning readiness was negatively correlated with level of library exposure (r = -.36,
p<.05), specifically, village status (r = -.38, p<.01).
Two explanations:
1) The absence of a community library in Ggulema reduced learning readiness of
its children.
2) Ggulema has a lower literacy rate than Kitengesa.
3. Caregivers’ self-reported quality of health was positively correlated with learning
readiness (r = .28, p<.05), specifically, pictorial curiosity (r = .36, p<.01).
Explanation:
Healthier caregivers were more responsive to the child’s emotional and
cognitive needs essential for the development of learning readiness.
Summary of Findings (continued)
4. Caregivers self-reported quality of health was negatively correlated with level of library
exposure (r = -.40, p<.01), specifically, library user status (r = -.48, p<.001).
Two explanations:
1) Library usage (e.g., reading about health) improved the caregivers’ quality of
health.
2) Caregivers who felt better about their health were more likely to be library
users.
5. Both village status and caregivers’ self-reported quality of health independently predicted
children’s pictorial curiosity.
Explanation:
Exposure to a community with a library and having a healthy caregiver improved
children’s confidence to explore their world.
Readings

Aber, L. and Allen, J. (1987). “Effects of Maltreatment on Young Children’s Socioemotional
Development: An Attachment Theory Perspective.” Developmental Psychology, vol. 23 no. 3, pp.
406-414.

Bretherton, I., Ridgeway, D., & Cassidy, J. (1990). Assessing internal working models of the
attachment relationship: An attachment story completion task for 3-year-olds. In M. T. Greenberg, D.
Cicchetti, & E. M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the preschool years: Theory, research, and
intervention (pp. 273-308). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Dent Goodman, V. (2008). "Historical Development of the Rural African Village Library in Context:
Snapshots from Burkina Faso and Ghana." New Library World, Vol. 109 (11/12): 512-532.

Dent, V. (2006). “Observations of School Library Impact at Two Rural Ugandan Schools.” New Library
World 107 (9/10): 403-421.

Dent, V. (2006). “Modelling the Rural Community Library: Characteristics of the Kitengesa Library in
Rural Uganda.” New Library World 107(1/2): 16-30.

Dent, V. and L. Yannotta (2005). “A Rural Community Library in Uganda: A Study of its Use and
Users.” Libri International Journal of Libraries and Information Services 55(1): 39-55.

Goodman, G., Aber, J. L., Berlin, L., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1998). The relations between maternal
behaviors and urban preschool children's internal working models of attachment security. Infant
Mental Health Journal, 19, 378-393.

Heath, S. and Thomas, C. (1984). “The Achievement of Preschool Literacy for Mother and Child”, in
Awakening to Literacy, H. Goelman, A. Oberg, F. Smith, eds. Exeter, NH: Heinemann Educational
Books, pp. 51-72.

Raver, C., Gershoff, E., and Aber, L. (2007). “Testing Equivalence of Mediating Models of Income,
Parenting, and School Readiness for White, Black, and Hispanic Children in a National Sample.” Child
Development, vol. 78 no. 1, pp. 96-115.
The Research Team
Project Acknowledgments
Principal Investigators
Valeda Dent Goodman
Geoff Goodman
Maternal Interviewing
Valeda Dent Goodman
Karen Gubert
Child Interviewing
Geoff Goodman
Lugandan Translation
Ssewanyana Baker
Julius Sentume
Subject Recruitment
Ssewanyana Baker
Goretti Nakyato
Julius Sentume
Materials Design
Dustin Kahoud (first year student)
Maternal Interview Transcription
Jennifer Andersen (first year student)
Jennifer Gorman (advanced standing
student)
Jennifer Meeter (first year student)
Maria Narimanidze (first year student)
Adjoa Osei (first year student)
Jason Styka (first year student)
Cheryl Manna (future applicant)
Stephanie Pogan (future applicant)
Victoria Green (work study student)
Tracy Sullivan (work study student)
Child Interview Coding
Geoff Goodman
Maternal Interview Coding and Data
Entry
Jennifer Meeter (first year student)
Stephanie Pogan (future applicant)
Kitengesa Library Project Director
Dr. Kate Parry
Visit Kitengesa Community Library www.kitengesalibrary.org
“Joseph”