The collaborative role of school libraries in teaching and learning at selected public schools from Umlazi Township in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

The study investigated the role of the school library in teaching and learning. The main purpose of the study was to identify the role school libraries play in supporting teaching and learning at schools. The study adopted the following objectives; to determine the collaborative role of school libraries in teaching and learning at the selected schools in the Umlazi Township, to determine the factors that enhance the collaborative role of the school library in the teaching and learning process, and to find out how the selected school libraries promote information literacy to teachers and learners. The scope of the study was on the teachers and teacher librarians from the four functional school libraries at Umlazi namely: Swelihle High School, Comtech High School, Umlazi Secondary School and KwaShaka High School. The current study adopted a mixed method approach. The data was collected using semi structured face-to-face interviews for teacher librarians and questionnaires for educators. The researcher administered questionnaires and conducted interviews herself. Census was used for the 141 population participants comprising 13 8 teachers and 3 teacher librarians of the study. This research study sought to use a suitable research approach to address the aims and objectives of the study; and analysis of findings was carried out by means of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for the quantitative data using tables and figures to present data. The qualitative content analysis was analyzed using Tesch's approach and presented data using texts and tables. The current study revealed that sixty seven percent ( 67%) of the participants support schools in terms of curriculum, with promotion of reading and literacy, and for learners to retrieve information as this is the role of their school libraries in teaching and learning. Furthermore, the study discovered that there are factors that enhance the teaching and learning processes in their schools such as promotion of reading, writing, speaking, listening skills, improved learners' results especially matric, and the collaboration between teacher librarians and teachers to priorities learners' needs. Lastly, this study discovered that the school libraries promote literacy to teachers and learners through library programs, and provision of library materials for suitable reading, etc. This study recommends that the schools should hire qualified librarians and have their own budgets; the library period should be allocated on the school time-tables; new library materials/collection must be bought; school libraries should buy new computers that are compatible with the new technologies; school learners should be encouraged to borrow books; and the Provincial Departments of Education should work with school librarians and teachers to improve school libraries in public schools.