- Title
- Issues and challenges facing school libraries: a case study of selected primary schools in Gauteng Province, South Africa
- Creator
- Paton-Ash, Margaret Sanderson
- ThesisAdvisor
- Wilmot, Di
- ThesisAdvisor
- Irwin, Pat
- Subject
- School libraries -- South Africa -- Gauteng Libraries and state -- South Africa -- Gauteng Libraries and schools -- South Africa -- Gauteng Library planning -- South Africa -- Gauteng Libraries and education -- South Africa -- Gauteng
- Date
- 2012
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MEd
- Identifier
- vital:1660
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003543
- Description
- Fewer than 8% of schools in South Africa have functioning libraries. There is no national policy for school libraries which compels School Governing Bodies and principals to have a library in their schools. This qualitative study, based on grounded theory, investigated ten primary schools in Gauteng that had libraries, or were in the process of setting up a library with the intention of providing a rich description of the issues and challenges facing these schools. The schools were chosen on the basis of location (Soweto and Johannesburg), and the school fees that were paid in a continuum from low/no fee paying schools to the fee paying ex Model-C schools. The resourcing of the school library, the operation of the school library and the role of the library were examined. The findings highlight the lack of a national policy, of school library posts, the theft of computers as a result of the lack of security, as well as the lack of understanding by teachers of the role the library in teaching and learning. Furthermore, there appears to be a disjuncture between the trends evident in the international literature on school libraries and what is actually happening in the primary school libraries in my study. Most significantly low/no fee paying schools with libraries were the exception and those that did have libraries were as a result of the enthusiasm and efforts of one or two individuals with the backing of the principal. Ex-Model C schools had the advantage in terms of the provision and staffing of school libraries as they had the funds to support them and, in some cases, a school librarian, provided that the principal supported the idea of a school library. In all the schools, the belief in the importance of the library regarding reading and literacy was the main motivating factor in establishing or maintaining the school library. A growing public awareness of the value of school libraries was an encouraging trend that emerged from my study.
- Format
- 163 leaves, pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Paton-Ash, Margaret Sanderson
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