Faculty and Librarian Perceptions of Librarians as Researchers: Results from Semi-Structured Interviews

Following on the results of an earlier survey, this study explores the perceptions of librarians as researchers according to academic librarians and faculty using semi-structured interviews. Conducting research is a regular part of the academic librarian role, but one that often faces challenges to its undertaking, and one that is not always recognized. Exploring perceptions of librarian research helps to understand the current state of librarian research, the barriers faced by librarian researchers, and the value of librarian research. Fifteen librarians and seven faculty members were interviewed from eight Canadian universities. The interviews were coded and analysed to identify major themes. Librarian research was found to be sometimes unsupported and therefore difficult to conduct, but valuable to librarians and the discipline of librarianship. Additionally, librarian research was found to improve relations between librarians and faculty, and more broadly, was found to create a more collegial academic climate.

Detecting anomalous citation groups in journal networks

The ever-increasing competitiveness in the academic publishing market incentivizes journal editors to pursue higher impact factors. This translates into journals becoming more selective, and, ultimately, into higher publication standards. However, the fixation on higher impact factors leads some journals to artificially boost impact factors through the coordinated effort of a “citation cartel” of journals. “Citation cartel” behavior has become increasingly common in recent years, with several instances being reported. Here, we propose an algorithm—named CIDRE—to detect anomalous groups of journals that exchange citations at excessively high rates when compared against a null model that accounts for scientific communities and journal size. CIDRE detects more than half of the journals suspended from Journal Citation Reports due to anomalous citation behavior in the year of suspension or in advance. Furthermore, CIDRE detects many new anomalous groups, where the impact factors of the member journals are lifted substantially higher by the citations from other member journals. We describe a number of such examples in detail and discuss the implications of our findings with regard to the current academic climate.

Parents’ Perceptions of School Climate as a Predictor of Parents’ Participation in Their Children’s Education

Introduction: Parent involvement, which is defined as the attitudes, values and behaviors of parents supporting their children’s learning and education outcomes, has an important place in the education process of children. Many researchers acknowledge the important role that the strong positive link between home and school plays in children's development and education. However, many factors affect the participation of parents. School climate is one of these factors. Parent support and participation are considered important in a positive school climate. Thus, in schools with a healthy and open climate, school members can express their views more easily and contribute more actively to the educational process. Based on these thoughts, in this study, the extent to which parents’ participation in their children’s education is predicted by their perceptions of school climate. Methods: The research participants comprised 513 parents in Turkey, 413 women (80%) and 102 men (20%). Parental Participation Scale and Parents’ Perception of School Climate Scale were used in the study. Descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression (stepwise) analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: Findings obtained from the study showed that the level of parents’ participation in the educational processes of their children and their perception of school climate is high. As a result of the correlation analysis, it was found that only the Parent Participation Scale's “supporting child's socio-cultural development sub-dimension”, and School Climate Scale's “safety climate and academic climate” sub-dimensions had a significant and moderate relationship. In addition, as a result of the stepwise regression analysis, it was found that the safety climate and academic climate sub-dimensions significantly predicted the sub-dimension of supporting the socio-cultural development of the child. It was found that there were significant but low level relationships among the other sub-dimensions of the scales. Discussion: School climate refers to the social, physical and academic environments of the school, and in terms of school climate, activities in the school encourage students to feel comfortable and realize the learning process. In this respect, it is important that safety, and academic climate sub-dimensions are a significant predictor of the child's socio-cultural development support dimension. Limitations: The data in this study were collected from parents whose children are studying in primary schools in Pendik district of Istanbul/Turkey. In addition, variables with medium and higher correlation values were included in the regression analysis. Conclusion: School administrators and teachers should organize activities that will involve the parents in the education process in order to get the support of the parents during the education process. School administrators should create an open and healthy school climate while administrating the school, and should never ignore the impact of this climate on stakeholders.

Conclusion

We've made the case throughout this book that the academic enterprise is limited by a set of three beliefs. Much of what is of concern in the current academic climate could be ameliorated with a broader recognition of the value of debate, dissent, and consideration of divergent viewpoints. The ability to have engaged, thoughtful conversations on issues where divergence and sometimes strident divergence exists is critical for a functional society. If America's colleges cease to be places of free inquiry, American society will become less open, less innovative, and provide fewer opportunities. If we are going to move towards those answers, colleges need to be places where people are free to think outside the box, question assumptions, and propose new ways of seeing, analyzing, and engaging with some of the most pressing challenges facing society.

Potential in Play

Liberal arts pedagogy, characterized by its emphasis on adaptability and breadth, thrives on the input of fresh perspectives; arguably, it requires them to maintain its relevance. In this paper, I engage theoretical and applied scholarship on improvisation pedagogy to illustrate how integral improvisational thought is to the spirit of the liberal arts. Considering the liberal arts ‘toolkit’ as, essentially, that of an improviser—a rounded, context-dependent and hybridizing approach that is well-suited to novel and sometimes unforeseeable scenarios—reaffirms the liberal arts’ value in the shifting academic climate of the 21st century, in which such skills are increasingly necessary. In order to explore that potential, I synthesize the foundational works of Lev Vygotsky, Stephen Nachmanovich, and Ed Sarath with newer scholarship on 21st century education.

The academic climate and student-teacher relationship as determinants of academic motivation

In this study we focus on the university students and the factors that influence their academic motivation. The participants were 202 students from different universities and specializations, 167 females and 35 males, aged 18-31 years, M = 21.33, SD = 2.15. We used Perceived Academic Climate Scale (Felner, 1993), Teacher-Student Relationship Scale (Brinkworth et al., 2018), and Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al., 1992). Our objective was to identify the relationship between academic climate, teacher-student relationship (TSR), and academic motivation in the university environment, and to investigate the influence of the career anxiety on the academic motivation of students. The results show that anxiety regarding future career can moderate the relationship between school climate and academic amotivation and also between TSR and academic motivation.

The academic climate and student-teacher relationship as determinants of academic motivation

In this study we focus on the university students and the factors that influence their academic motivation. The participants were 202 students from different universities and specializations, 167 females and 35 males, aged 18-31 years, M = 21.33, SD = 2.15. We used Perceived Academic Climate Scale (Felner, 1993), Teacher-Student Relationship Scale (Brinkworth et al., 2018), and Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al., 1992). Our objective was to identify the relationship between academic climate, teacher-student relationship (TSR), and academic motivation in the university environment, and to investigate the influence of the career anxiety on the academic motivation of students. The results show that anxiety regarding future career can moderate the relationship between school climate and academic amotivation and also between TSR and academic motivation.