?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_id=10.5204%2Fthesis.eprints.116146&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=School+libraries+and+their+roles+in+rural+Thailand%3A+Perceptions+of+public+primary+school+principals&rft.creator=Wimolsittichai%2C+Nilobon&rft.subject=Rural+school%2C+Small+school%2C+School+library%2C+School+principals%2C+School+administration%2C+Library+administration%2C+Perceptions%2C+Principals%E2%80%99+perceptions%2C+Student+academic+achievement&rft.description=Background%3A+%0D%0AThailand+continues+to+face+a+serious+long-term+problem+developing+effective+school+libraries%2C+particularly+in+rural+small+public+primary+schools.+Even+though+the+Thai+government+has+developed+school+library+standards+and+supports+many+projects+to+help+all+schools+establish+effective+libraries%2C+most+rural+small+public+primary+schools+still+struggle+to+improve+their+libraries+enough+to+reach+even+the+minimum+criteria+of+the+standards+(Thailand+Knowledge+park+2011).+Thai+government+and+policy+makers+appear+to+overlook+the+special+management%2C+guidelines+and+standards+challenges+for+libraries+in+rural+small+public+primary+schools.+The+lack+of+expenditure+in+Thailand+on+research+and+development+of+rural+small+public+primary+school+libraries+has+led+to+a+minimum+of+related+primary+data+and+studies%2C+giving+very+little+indication+of+ways+to+improve+the+quality+of+those+libraries+effectively.%0D%0A%0D%0AObjectives+and+Methods%3A+%0D%0AThis+research%2C+which+aims+to+explore+principals'+perceptions+of+public+primary+school+libraries%2C+library+characteristics+and+effectiveness%2C+employs+a+research+method+using+questionnaires+to+survey+375+school+principals+in+6+regions+in+Thailand.+Survey+part+1+requested+basic+information+about+principals%2C+their+schools+and+their+school+libraries.+Survey+part+2+asked+principals+to+illustrate+the+strengths%2C+weaknesses%2C+opportunities+and+limitations+of+their+school+libraries.+Survey+part+3+was+a+semantic+scale+for+principals+to+rate+their+perceptions+about+the+impact+of+the+school+library+on+students'+academic+achievement.+Both+quantitative+and+qualitative+data+are+used+in+this+research%3A+quantitative+data+were+analysed+through+3+analysis+techniques+including+descriptive%2C+cluster+and+multiple+regression%3B+qualitative+data+were+analysed+through+thematic+analysis.%0D%0A%0D%0AFindings%3A+%0D%0AThis+research+found+that+in+general+small+public+primary+school+libraries+lack+resources+for+their+collections%2C+physical+facilities%2C+and+staff.+Of+the+6+regions+surveyed%2C+libraries+located+in+the+North+and+Northeast+regions+face+the+greatest+lack+of+resources.+Principals+participating+in+this+study+perceive+the+necessity+for+an+effective+administration%2C+sufficient+staff+and+sufficient+library+physical+facilities+to+overcome+the+limitations+of+their+libraries.+Most+principals+understood+very+well+the+impact+that+school+libraries+have+on+students'+academic+achievement%2C+particularly+in+enhancing+students'+literacy+levels.+The+research+also+found+that+principals+aged+younger+than+51+years+tended+to+have+more+positive+perceptions+about+this+impact+of+libraries+on+students'+academic+achievement.%0D%0A%0D%0ARecommendations%3A+%0D%0AAt+a+policy+level%2C+the+Thai+government+should+urgently+equip+the+small+schools+in+rural+areas+with+Information+and+Communications+Technology+(ITC).+It+needs+to+reauthorise+and+modernise+the+National+Education+Act+1999+to+mandate+the+importance+of+the+pedagogical+role+of+school+libraries+and+school+librarians.+Clear+library+policies+are+required+for+both+school+libraries+in+general+and+for+the+provision+of+library+services+in+rural+small+public+primary+schools.+Moreover%2C+the+Thai+government+should+assign+the+Thai+Library+Association+to+develop+new+national+school+library+standards.+The+Thai+government+should+also+acknowledge+the+role+of+parents+and+local+community+participation+in+education+development.+The+Thai+government+should+conduct+and+support+research+on+existing+barriers+to+developing+effective+education+and+learning+resources+in+rural+small+public+primary+schools.%0D%0A%0D%0AAt+a+practitioner+level%2C+principals%2C+teacher+librarians+and+school+library+stakeholders+are+crucial+for+developing+effective+libraries.+Principals+need+to+know+and+understand+the+school+library+standards+and+the+policy+related+to+learning+resources+development%3B+they+also+need+to+be+prepared+to+convert+traditional+school+libraries+into+modern+libraries+by+integrating+ICT+in+library+administration%2C+collections%2C+services%2C+activities+and+staff.+Importantly%2C+principals+need+to+support+teacher+librarians+and+staff%2C+enhancing+their+knowledge+and+skills+in+library+and+information+fields%3B+equally%2C+they+need+to+collaborate+with+school+library+stakeholders%2C+in+both+internal+and+external+school+communities%2C+to+develop+effective+libraries+and+to+promote+and+enhance+their+capacity.%0D%0A%0D%0AConclusion%3A+%0D%0AThis+research+identified+a+much-needed+foundation+for+developing+an+effective+library+in+rural+Thailand.+Although+principals+have+an+important+role+in+directing+and+managing+change+in+libraries%2C+collaboration+among+library+stakeholders+is+also+a+significant+factor+leading+to+the+development+and+enhancement+of+effective+school+libraries.+In+the+light+of+this+research%2C+the+researcher+recommends+for+the+Thai+government+and+school+library+stakeholders+pay+more+attention+to+and+to+prioritise+dealing+with+school+library+issues.+The+researcher+also+expects+that+this+research+will+help+build+international+cross-cultural+understanding+beyond+the+school+libraries+of+small+public+primary+schools+in+rural+Thailand%2C+to+developing+countries+more+widely.+Such+knowledge+would+be+beneficial+to+the+Thai+government%2C+and+to+school+library+communities+and+stakeholders%2C+both+in+Thailand+and+internationally%2C+to+establish+and+develop+effective+school+libraries+that+lead+to+educational+success.&rft.publisher=Queensland+University+of+Technology&rft.date=2017&rft.type=Thesis&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.relation=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F116146%2F1%2FNilobon%2520Wimolsittichai%2520Thesis.pdf&rft.rights=free_to_read&rft.relation=doi%3A10.5204%2Fthesis.eprints.116146&rft.relation=Wimolsittichai%2C+Nilobon+(2017)+School+libraries+and+their+roles+in+rural+Thailand%3A+Perceptions+of+public+primary+school+principals.+PhD+thesis%2C+Queensland+University+of+Technology.&rft.id_number=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F116146%2F&rft.identifier=Science+%26+Engineering+Faculty%3B+School+of+Information+Systems