Exploring the connections between teaching librarians' beliefs about teaching and their teaching methods

Abstract

In academic libraries, a teaching librarian's choice of teaching methods has the potential to impact student learning, yet a limited number of studies have explored how teaching librarians choose which teaching methods to use in their instruction sessions. Using the theory of planned behavior as the theoretical framework, this study explored one antecedent for teaching methods: a librarian's beliefs about teaching. Thirteen teaching librarians from three R1 doctoral universities in Texas were interviewed as part of a collective case study. During the interviews, participants were asked to describe their teaching methods and their beliefs about teaching. Three themes were identified across institutions and instructional contexts related to teaching methods: engaging students in the teaching interaction, connecting information literacy content to the real world, and creating a supportive atmosphere. Three themes were identified related to teaching beliefs: beliefs in the importance of understanding students' unique learning needs, understanding students' affective dimensions of learning, and respecting the knowledge students bring to the teaching interaction. These findings suggest that participants utilize a student-centered approach to teaching characterized by active learning methods. This exploration of the role of teaching beliefs on how teaching librarians choose teaching methods has practical implications for creating professional development for teaching librarians that aims to deconstruct beliefs about teaching.