Reforming education in a rural ecosystem: School libraries as innovative teaching-learning hubs

Lulama Mdodana-ZideGodsend T. Chimbi^*

• University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa

Although literature shows that libraries can play a significant role in student learning, very little is known about how the availability of libraries can transform rural education ecosystems. This study, therefore, positions libraries as innovative hubs for improving how teachers teach and students learn in rural schools, often incapacitated by resource scarcity. Deploying the theoretical lens of Todd and Kuhlthau's Model of the School Library as a Dynamic Agent of Learning, this qualitative study explores the potential of school libraries as innovative pedagogical hubs to improve teaching and learning in rural schools. The study adopts a multiple case study design by purposively selecting six schools as research sites. Using a sample of twelve teachers, data were collected through semistructured interviews and processed using content and thematic analyses. The findings indicate that school libraries can improve teachers' lesson preparation and learner engagement by encouraging learner-centred environments and curriculum differentiation. Libraries also help mitigate resource inadequacies, enhancing teachers' subject knowledge and pedagogy. By establishing and maintaining functional school libraries as innovative pedagogical hubs instead of mere repositories of information, school libraries can enhance the quality of teaching and learning in rural schools. The study advocates the development of curriculum policy guidelines that prioritise the availability of school libraries to promote quality teaching and learning in rural education ecosystems.