Abstract
This thesis concerns the promotion and use of resources (human and material) by teachers, students and librarians in particular tasks at school. The research questions addressed are: (1) What expectations do teachers have of students' resource use, and how do they inform the students of such expectations? (2) What resources do students seek and use, and on what do they base their decisions? (3) How are the roles of school library and librarian perceived by (i) teachers, (ii) students, and (iii) librarians, in the context of teaching and learning, particularly at Sixth form level? These three questions are seen to be closely connected, and the interrelatedness is examined from the viewpoints of teachers, students and librarians. The methodology used is threefold: (i) primary source: pilot- and case-studies in a variety of school settings, based on observation and interviews; (ii) comparative primary source: pilot- and case-studies in several schools in Germany; (iii) secondary source: analysis and interpretation of some of the LASS (Library Access and Sixth-form Studies) project case records. Among specific topics examined are: the image of library and librarian; non-school resources; the influence of examinations; the resource of prior experience. Most of the fieldwork was undertaken in Sixth form settings, but findings from other contexts are included. The findings show many parallels between British and West German orientations to, and use of, resources. There is: (i) little consensus in the perception of resource usefulness between teachers, librarians and students; (ii) frequent mismatch between quantity and actual use of material resources; (iii) under-use of human resources, especially that of prior experience; (iv) a negative image of the librarian. It is suggested that greater interaction between teachers and librarians in their respective training courses, and a recognition of the value of students' own perceptions, could be first steps towards a fuller awareness and exploitation of available resources, which in turn may affect curriculum and examination demands.