| The purpose of this study was to describe teacher-librarian partnerships occurring within literature-based approaches. Changes in trends have simultaneously occurred in reading education and library science. In reading education, pedagogy has shifted from basals to literature-based approaches. In library science, practices evolved from quantity standards with a skills approach to quality guidelines within resource-based education.; The central research question was: How is the teacher-librarian partnership enacted within different elementary school contexts where there is a literature-based approach for instruction? This qualitative study focused on elementary classroom teachers and elementary school librarians from two schools. Both sites were selected based on several criteria. The librarian, who perceived herself as a teacher, was hired for a single-school, full-time librarian position. Schools provided evidence of a literature-based approach. Each librarian and focus teacher was engaged in literature-based instruction.; Librarians' and teachers' activities were observed and recorded in field notes, photographs, video recordings and artifacts for 360 hours. Structured and unstructured interviews in conjunction with these observations and documents provided triangulation. The computer program Ethnograph was used for data storage, organization and retrieval. Coding provided pivotal links between data collected and substantive theory developed. Data were analyzed by constant-comparison. Individual case descriptions and a cross-site analysis were conducted for the two cases studied.; Eight theoretical constructs emerged from data analysis. (1) Partnerships events occur in three ways--purposeful, springboard, and accidental. (2) Teacher-librarian partnerships support literature-based instruction. (3) Teacher-librarian partnerships to survive must evidence support, maintenance, and reward. (4) Technology expands teacher-librarian partnership possibilities. (5) Contextual constraints exist which impede teacher-librarian partnerships. (6) Literature-based instruction has different meanings to different practitioners. (7) Literature-based instruction is distinguished from whole language by practitioners. (8) Literature-based approaches are limited by and confounded with skills approaches, district expectations, and eclectic methods. Partnership members actively worked to maintain successful team-building relationships. Aspects of collegiality influenced the dynamics of the interplay between members, helping them to form strong networks. Enactment of a teacher-librarian partnership was facilitated through communication and maintained by consideration, cooperation, compromise and commitment. |
