Impact of Four Reading and Library Factors on the Grade Average of Ugandan Secondary School Students: A Quantitative Study Valeda F. Dent, Ph.D. Dean, University Libraries Interim Director, Palmer School of Library & Information Studies Long Island University New York

Project Overview 1 Rural Uganda Kitengesa - the site for this study - is a rural village in Southeastern Uganda. It is a small community, and up until 2004 there was no running water or electricity. To date such utilities are still limited to a few households. Masaka is the closest town, located about 8 miles away. 2 Longitudinal Study  Study began in  Different areas of impact explored.  Goal is to demonstrate positive impact of library on community; gain support for building more rural libraries in Uganda and Elsewhere, 3 Secondary School Students Convenience sample: 87 students from two secondary schools in the greater Masaka region of rural Uganda; 45 students (ages 13-17) from the Masaka School (no library access) and 42 students (ages 13-17) from the Kitengesa Secondary School (library access).

Regional Context & Study Justification 1 Matrix of Poverty  Average life expectancy is 59 years  Population is 37 million  Literacy rate is 86% for men and 62% for women  Eighty-eight per cent of the population live in rural areas  Rural inhabitants earn an average daily wage of 77 cents  Uganda is ranked 163 rd out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index 2 Impact on Educational Outcomes There have been no extensive studies on the relationship between rural village libraries and academic achievement in sub-Saharan Africa; however, Bristow provides anecdotal evidence that access to books and other reading material as part of the curriculum in certain African countries enhances student learning. 3 Role of Library Access Lutaaya (1999) examined the impact of the library on student performance at a local Ugandan school and found that a significantly higher percentage of students with a school library passed their “O” levels than the percentage of students without access to such a library (“O” levels are examinations taken by secondary education students at the approximate equivalent of grade 11).

Research Questions This study utilized quantitative data to explore a local library’s impact on secondary school students’ academic outcomes. Variables included reading frequency, library use frequency, library access, overall grade average (OGA), and presence and type of reading materials in the home. RQ1: What is the relationship between students’ rural village library access and overall grade average (OGA)? RQ2: Is students’ reading frequency (i.e., the average number of reading hours per week over the course of the previous school year) correlated with higher OGA regardless of library access? RQ3: Does the presence of printed materials in the home predict the OGA of students, regardless of library access? RQ4: Does the reading of specific printed materials in the home for recreational purposes predict the OGA of students, regardless of library access?

Measures 1 Questionnaire The questionnaire gathered information about frequency of library visits, reasons for library visits, the number of books checked out, and general reading habits. 2 Library Logs Documented library visit frequency. 3 Circulation Database Documented type of library materials checked out, renewals, etc.

Analysis 1 Library access and OGA The research question was what is the relationship between students’ rural village library access and overall grade average (OGA)? One initial assumption of this study was that students who have access to and use a rural village library would have higher OGAs than students who do not. An independent-samples t-test comparing means of the overall average grades for library users (n = 42; M = 43; SD = 17.5) and nonlibrary users (n = 45; M = 47; SD = 15.6) revealed no significant difference between the groups (p =.27). 2 Reading frequency and OGA The research question was is students’ reading frequency (i.e., the average number of reading hours per week over the course of the previous school year) correlated with higher OGA regardless of library access? Findings revealed a significant Pearson correlation between reading frequency and OGA of all students in the sample (r =.31, n = 87, p =.003). 3 Presence of printed materials in the home and OGA The research question was does the presence of printed materials in the home predict the OGA of students, regardless of library access? A Pearson correlation revealed that simply having reading materials at home was not found to be correlated with OGA for the students (r =.001, n = 87, p =.996).

Analysis (con’t) 4 Recreational reading of specific printed materials in the home and OGA The research question was does the reading of specific printed materials in the home for recreational purposes predict the OGA of students, regardless of library access? Findings indicated that the reading of the Bible during recreational time (not for school purposes) was positively correlated with the overall class average of all students in the sample (r =.31, n = 87, p =.003). 2 Reading frequency and OGA 3 Presence of printed materials in the home and OGA

Discussion 1 Library access and OGA The most striking difference between the studies conducted by...and the current study is the dependent impact variable (overall class average), which may provide one way to explain the null findings. Each of those studies used standardized tests as a way to explore academic achievement, providing a level of certainty and stability in terms of exam content. The literature indicates that standardized test scores are a reliable way to measure academic impact. The current study did not have access to standardized test scores, and instead used the summed averages of subject tests created by the teachers themselves. The tests at the two schools were different. 2 Reading frequency and OGA Ninety-seven percent of library users and all of nonusers reported that they read for 5 hours per week or more. Fifty-five percent of both users and nonusers read for 10 hours per week or more. The average number of hours spent reading per week for library users was 10.4 hours, for nonusers, it was 10.5 hours. More reading was associated with higher grade averages for all students. 3 Presence of printed materials in the home and OGA A Pearson correlation revealed that simply having reading materials at home was not found to be predictive of overall class average for the students. The researchers surmised that this factor was related to both student socioeconomic status and parental education.

Discussion (con’t) 4 Recreational reading of specific printed materials in the home and OGA Certain religious content proved statistically significant over other types of materials like non-religious books. The finding could be due to the fact that many students reported having the Bible at home (57% of library users and 46% of nonusers) and perhaps have been exposed to this reading material for much longer than any other type of reading material. Ellis and ter Harr advance that religious literacy has a profound impact on the minds and thoughts of readers; thus, students may be predisposed to reading religious materials in order to understand more about the world around them. 2 Reading frequency and OGA 3 Presence of printed materials in the home and OGA

The Kitengesa Community Library

Find Out More Book Chapter (in press) Goodman, G., and Dent, V. (2016). Studying the Effectiveness of a Storytelling/Story-Acting Activity on Ugandan Preschoolers’ Theory of Mind and Emergent Literacy in Two Rural Ugandan Community Libraries. In R. Steen (Ed.), “Emerging Research in Play Therapy, Child Counseling and Consultation”. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Website Rural Village Libraries Research Network Kitengesa Community Library ary Kitengesa Community Library Documentary Book Dent, V., Goodman, G., & Kevane, M. (2014). “Rural Community Libraries in Africa: Challenges and Impacts”. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.