Dissertation Information for Larry L. Hardesty NAME: - Larry L. Hardesty
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- Indiana University (USA) (1982)
ADVISORS: - David Kaser
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Marcy Murphy - David Clark - Thomas M. Schwen - Clayton A. Shepherd
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SET OF SCALES TO MEASURE THE ATTITUDES OF CLASSROOM INSTRUCTORS TOWARD THE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATIONAL ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC LIBRARY
Abstract: Classroom instructors are an important influence on the role of the academic library in undergraduate education. Nevertheless, little empirical research has been conducted regarding the attitudes of classroom instructors in this area. The objectives of this research were (1) to develop a set of scales to measure the attitudes of classroom instructors toward the undergraduate educational role of the academic library; (2) to use this set of scales to examine the relationship between the attitudes measured and selected academic and demographic variables of the undergraduate classroom instructors; and (3) to examine the factors that constitute the library educational attitudes measured by this set of scales.
Forty classroom instructors and seven libraries at seven colleges and universities in Indiana were interviewed to develop a 130 Likert-type attitude statements. Judgments by qualified individuals and a pilot test facilitated the reduction of the number of attitude statements to thirty for the final set of scales. This set of scales was then field test at four colleges and universities in Indiana.
The method of scale construction supported the claim of scale validity, and the Cronbach alpha of .79 supported the claim of scale reliability. Factor analysis revealed four recognizable patterns of attitudes. Only when the classroom instructors were grouped by school at which they currently taught did their mean attitude scale scores prove statistically significantly different. The researcher concluded that local conditions, such as hiring practices, reward systems, library quality, and "norms," at each institution strongly influence the attitudes of classroom instructors toward the undergraduate educational role of the academic library.
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