Literature review
3.5 Questions
For this study questions in the questionnaires for learners, teachers, and the teacher -librarian were in simple English and the principal of the school was interviewed using an interview checklist (see Appendix D). The teacher librarian was asked to complete a questionnaire rather than interview because of the expected volume and complexity ofthe data to be collected from her. For the first three categories three short self-administered questionnaires (see Appendices A -C) were constructed and administered, based on the objectives of this study.
3.5.1 Forms of question
Newell (1993:101-103) distinguishes between two types of questions commonly used in questionnaires. These are closed questions and open questions. The questionnaires contained both closed and open-ended questions, designed to obtain information about the learners' curriculum related library needs, the teachers' curriculum related needs and the librarian's view of the collection in the school library .
3.5.1.1 Closed questions
Closed questions "are drafted in advance, complete with all possible answers which could be given" (Newe1l1993 : 101). The advantages of closed questions (or limited option questions as they are also called) are that "they can be pre-coded and responses can easily be entered in a computer saving time and money"(Newell 1993: 101) and that they "are less time consuming for the respondents to complete" (Newe1l1993 :101). The closed questions helped guard against irrelevant answers and directed the respondents to answer the questions easily.
The disadvantages of closed questions are that they "force the respondent to chose between the answers provided" (Newell 1993: 102) and can only be used when the researcher has been able to make an informed decision based on the literature or experience about which categories are appropriate. An " Other" category allowed for responses not anticipated by the researcher.
3.5.1. 2 Open questions
Open questions are described by Newell (1993:102) as"those that allow individuals to respond in any way they wish". Open questions or opinion-type questions were used for questions where it was anticipated that the respondents required freedom of response.
Newell (1993: 103) points out the drawbacks of open questions for respondents and researchers.
The former are required to spend time considering and recording an answer and the latter might have to deal with responses that are ambiguous, wide-ranging and difficult to categorise as well as time-consuming to code and analyse. Although the lack of verbal interaction when using a questionnaire for data collection might have some disadvantages such as difficulty in being understood, the researcher dealt with this by trying to avoid questions that were likely to be misunderstood by participants because of unclear wording (Powell 1985 :100). Based on guidelines provided in the literature (Sapsford 1999: 111) the researcher was able to minimize this problem by keeping her audience in mind in the development of the questionnaires stage.
A pre-test was used to further eliminate problems.
3. 5. 2 Categories of information
The questions for this study focused on the availability of resources, determined the types of materials frequently used by both teachers and learners and assessed the suitability ofthe present collection of Russell High School library for meeting curricula needs. They also asked about the degree to which users, that is, learners and teachers, were satisfied or not satisfied with the school library in terms of its provision. The study also sought to assess the degree to which the
principal and the teaching staff support the library.
As stated above three types of questionnaires were designed, one each for the learners, teachers and the school librarian. There were some similarities among the three questionnaires (learners, teachers and teacher-librarian) which helped the researcher compare the responses of the three types of population.
3.5.2.1 The learners' questionnaire
The learners' questionnaire was divided into three sections. Section one provided the demographic information of the respondents. Section two sought information on the use of the school library and section three asked questions about support for the library and satisfaction with the library service. Lastly, respondents were asked to give their comments and suggestions concerning the school library.
3.5.2.2 The teachers' questionnaire
The teachers' questionnaire was also divided into three parts. The first part gathered the demographic information of the respondents. The second part sought information on the utility ofthe school library and the third part gathered information about the respondents' perception of the role of the school library.
3.5.2.3 The librarians' questionnaire
The questionnaire for the school librarian was divided into four parts. The first part gathered information about the organization of the school library. The second part gathered information on the stock ofthe library. The third part sought information on the types of materials used. The fourth part focused on user education and on any personal comments or suggestions the librarian wished to add.
3.5.2.4 The Principal's interview checklist
An interview was used to collect data from the principal. The interview focussed on information concerning the principal's perception of the school library, the budget and the future plans for the library. A check list was used to structure the interview.