Table 11 Thai education system Approximate age Grade Level of education Vocational education Free education Other education forms 3 Pre-primary Non formal education Special education 4 5 6 1 Primary 7 2 8 3 9 4 10 5 11 6 12 7 Lower-secondary 13 8 14 9 15 10 Upper-secondary Lower vocational and technical 16 11 17 12 18 4-6 years of study Undergraduate Tertiary vocational 19 20 21 Over 21 Postgraduate (Master’s, PhD) Source: Adapted from OECD (2016) Formal education in Thailand can be divided into four levels: early years education; basic education; vocational and technical education; and higher education. Early years education (pre-primary) is provided for children aged 3-5. Basic education comprises a 3-6-3-3 system: three years of pre-primary schooling; six years of primary schooling; three years of lower-secondary schooling; and another three years of upper-secondary schooling. The first nine years of basic education (six years of primary and three of lower-secondary education) are compulsory in Thailand. After finishing compulsory education, students normally continue with a further three years of upper-secondary education before undertaking higher education course or entering the labour market.
nature of knowledge and its justification Axiology : the role of values in inquiry Inquiry is value free. Inquiry is valued bound. Logic Deductive Inductive Methods QUAN QUAL The possibility of casual linkages There are real causes, temporally precedent to or simultaneous with their effects. All entities are in a state of mutual, simultaneous shaping so that it is impossible to distinguish causes from effects. The possibility of generalization Time- and context-free generalizations (nomothetic statements) are possible. Only time-and context-bound working hypotheses (ideographic statements) are possible. Since new research methodologies have emerged, the paradigm contrast table has had to be expanded. The original two columns in the table have now become five (Guba & Lincoln, 2005). In table 4-3 an expansion of the table is offered, one that presents the five major paradigms used in research. The table identifies the primary differences between the five paradigms through seven dimensions: ontology, epistemology, axiology, logic, methods, possibility of causal linkages, and possibility of generalisation. Table 43 Expanded paradigm contrast table comparing five points of view (adapted from Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009) Dimensions of contrast Constructivism Transformative Pragmatism Postpositivism Positivism Ontology (the nature of reality) Ontological relativism multiple, constructed realities Diverse viewpoints regarding social realities; explanations that promote justice Diverse viewpoints regarding social realities; best explanations within personal value systems Critical realism (external reality that is understood imperfectly and probabilistically) Naïve realism (an objective, external reality that can be comprehended) Epistemology (researcher/participant relationship) Subjective; reality co-constructed with participants Both objectivity and interaction with participants valued by researchers Both objective and subjective points of view, depending on stage of research cycle Modified dualism Objective point of view (dualism) Axiology (role of values) Value-bound inquiry All aspects of research guided by social injustice Values important in interpreting results Values in inquiry, but their influence may be controlled Value-free inquiry Logic Inductive Inductive and Inductive and
The model of these research phases is presented in figure 4-3. More details of all phases will be discussed in the following sections. Figure 43 Model of research phases Phase 1: Academic librarian interview According to Creswell (2002), the qualitative approach is an instrument for understanding the meaning of social or human problems that occur either within a group or among individuals. The study of e-book management in academic libraries has not been studied widely in a Thai context. Therefore, this issue merits an exploratory qualitative approach. Another characteristic of the qualitative approach is that it helps the researcher to clarify why and how participants react as they do (Mellon, 1986). Qualitative research contains a more holistic and natural approach in order to solve that problem. Moreover, it focuses more on the subjective aspects of human behaviour and experience (Connaway & Powell, 2010). Studying a phenomenon in its natural setting is a key characteristic of the qualitative approach as the researcher conducts a field study to collect data from the participants. Information is usually gathered by speaking to participants or observing them behave in natural settings. Face-to-face interaction is a major aspect of data collection in a qualitative study (Creswell, 2002). Moreover, a variety of data collection methods can be used, such as interview, observation, mechanical recording, and photography. Grover and Glazier (1985) also emphasise how a qualitative method facilitates the gathering of data about users’ information needs and behaviour.
C Autonomous Agricultural, technology, and innovation To be the university’s knowledge centre, as well as, national digital library on agriculture. (P4) Librarian: electronic resource acquisitions (P5) Librarian: reference and public relations D Public None To be an open university library that provides excellent service for a lifelong learning. (P6) Librarian: acquisitions (P7) Librarian: reference and user services E Autonomous Artistry To be the knowledge centre that produces high quality information resources with modern technologies. (P8) Librarian: collection development and information resource analysis (P9) Librarian: reference and user services F Public None To be a provider of high quality academic information resources. (P10) Librarian: collection development and information resource analysis (P11) Librarian: acquisitions G Autonomous Science and technology To be a centre of information services by providing high quality information resources that meet user’s requirement. (P12) Librarian: collection development (P13) Librarian: collection development (P14) Librarian: reference and user services H Autonomous None (research intensive) To provide the seamless access to (P15) Assistant to the director: user (P16) Audio-visual Technical Officer
Table 76 Comparison of actions performed with print materials and electronic materials Participant Figure no. Reading purposes Tools Actions Academic Leisure Manual Digital P1 7-1 × Tablet, textbook, printed documents, calculator, pencil, eraser, ruler Reading - 7-2 × Desktop, printed documents - Using PowerPoint for teaching preparation P2 7-3 × Printed documents, calculator, Post-it notes Highlighting, note taking - 7-4 × Printed documents, calculator, Post-it notes Highlighting, note taking - 7-5 × Printed documents, calculator, Post-it notes Highlighting, note taking - P3 7-6 × Printed magazine, desktop - Checking e-mail on desktop PC 7-7 × Printed magazines - - 7-8 × Printed book - - P4 7-9 × Printed documents Highlighting - 7-10 × Desktop, printed document, pen Doing assignment Searching for information on website 7-11 × Printed book - - P5 7-12 × Desktop, printed book, pens, printed documents - Taking note on MS Word 7-13 × Printed book, desktop - - 7-14 × Printed documents, notebook, pens, ruler Highlighting, note taking, drawing mind maps -
7-15 × Printed documents, notebook, pens, ruler Drawing mind maps, note taking - P6 7-16 × Tablet - Reading e-book 7-17 × Tablet - Reading PDF document 7-18 × Tablet - Reading e-book P7 7-19 × Desktop, tablet, printed documents, printed book, Post-it notes Highlighting, note taking Reading PDF document 7-20 × Desktop, printed documents Highlighting, note taking Writing paper on MS Word 7-21 × Printed books, notebook, pen, pencil, highlighter Reading, note taking - P8 7-22 × Desktop, printed document, headphones - Searching for information online 7-23 × Laptop, printed book, notebook Highlighting, note taking Using search engine (Google) 7-24 × Laptop - Reading an online article 7-25 × Laptop - Reading an online article 7-26 × Mobile phone - Reading an online discussion forum 7-27 × Pens, A4 paper Note taking - 7-28 × Printed magazine Reading - P9 7-29 × Printed book Reading -
Analysis of photo-elicitation interviews Reading habits In this phase of the study, the photo-elicited interviews serve to highlight a number of interesting reading habits of the participants. Table 7-7 summarises reading habits in terms of participant status and purpose of reading. Table 77 Summary of participant reading habits Status Reader type Reading purpose Academic Leisure Lecturer Technophile Can read from any materials that can be written on conveniently Can read from any materials Masters students Pragmatist Read text books in printed format only In case of reading for specific assignments, multi-format reading materials are used Can read from any materials but depends on place and time PhD students Technophile Read from both printed and electronic formats Comfortable reading from a screen, and taking notes on paper Occasionally print out electronic texts to read Read from printed format only Undergraduate students Pragmatist Read text books in printed format only In case of reading for specific assignments, multi-format reading materials are used Can read from any materials but depends on place and time. As the results show, there were slight differences in the reading habits of different groups of participants. In the case of academic reading, the lecturer and the PhD students were more flexible with the formats of reading material. They read from both printed and electronic formats in parallel. However, regardless of reading material, the lecturer showed more concern about the relative ease of making notes in the text when using particular materials. Thus, a note-taking feature was a
major sets of responsibilities that need to be carried out, in order to manage their e-book collections, and that Thai academic libraries have adopted. These comprise: Discovering sources of academic e-books; Allocating a budget for e-books; Forming a set of selection criteria; Choosing a purchase model; Negotiating licenses; Acquiring e-books; Promotion and user education activities; and Monitoring usage. The stages that Thai academic libraries have adopted in e-book management are similar to those found by many previous studies to have been implemented in other academic libraries (Fieldhouse & Marshall, 2012; Vasileiou et al., 2012b). Further to this, the management approaches used for e-books are similar to those employed for their print resource counterparts. In the interviews, most of the participants agreed that they managed their e-book collections with exactly the same staged approach that they used for print books. When invited to talk about the management approaches used for library e-books, all the librarians stated that there were no formal written methods for e-book collection management. Accordingly, each library had created an informal set of guidelines for e-book management, one adapted from existing collection management policy for print resources. It might be argued, however, that electronic resources require attention at their own right, just as much as do print resources. As Lee & Boyle (2004) suggest, libraries should consider formulating a formal collection development policy that identifies a unique criteria to each different type of library material. As most of the academic libraries in this study had not yet established formal plans for managing their e-book collections, this does seem to prefigure several problems regarding e-book collection management as a whole within Thai academic libraries. One obvious problem from lack of a formal plan for e-books management is many libraries in this study seem uncertain about the formulation of their e-books collection. With regard to the establishment of e-books collection, most of it relies heavily on the decision of the library director which seems to be changing frequently. This results in the librarians are unable to provide a foundation for future planning about e-books collection within the library. In additions, an absence of a formal plan could also link to a bias in the collection management. As evidenced by the data collected from the interview with Thai academic librarians, one of them stated that the library did not have any policy regarding e-books because there was a librarian who took control of the whole management process of library e-books already. Furthermore,
discomfort of reading are major disadvantages of E-books are less popular than e-journals. are the major disadvantages of e-books. Prefer print books to e-books Perceptions of library users Lecturer users Generation gap plays a role in a preference of e-books Younger lecturers have greater preference for than do senior lecturers. Student users Lack of interest in reading Lack of English language capability Current learning curriculum in the university does not support the use of books among Thai students Perceptions of e-book services in the library Need more promotion of e-books in the library and education in e-book use. Need more relevant e-books Need library e-books to be more easier to access Need more relevant facilities to support e-book use E-book management Challenges Rely heavily on decisions made by the library director Budget constraints Opportunities Put much efforts into promoting e-books to users Create many in-house developed e-book databases E-book use Challenges Some users are unaware of e-books in the library Difficult to interact with the text Physical discomfort when reading from a screen Technical problems (e.g. off-campus use, compatibility with user’s own devices, restriction of access) Low quality of in-house developed e-books Teaching and learning systems (especially for undergraduate degrees) do not support the use of e-books Opportunities E-books are convenient to use Searchability function of is seen very useful PhD students and lecturers are potential users of library e-books Non-academic e-books have potential to be accepted by users more Future of The growth of e-book use will depend on: Future of Both e-books and print books will be used concurrently
5.. อายุ ___________ ปี พฤติกรรมการใช้และทัศนคติที่มีต่อหนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ ท่านเคยมีประสบการณ์การใช้หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ในกรณีดังต่อไปนี้หรือไม่ □ เคย □ ไม่เคย เพื่อการอ่านตามความสนใจทั่วไป □ เคย □ ไม่เคย ท่านสามารถเข้าใช้หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ผ่านทางห้องสมุดมหาวิทยาลัยได้ □ ใช่ □ ไม่ใช่ (ข้ามไปข้อ 13 ) □ ไม่ทราบ (ข้ามไปข้อ 13 ) 8. ท่านทราบได้อย่างไรว่าท่านมีสิทธิ์เข้าใช้หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ผ่านทางห้องสมุดมหาวิทยาลัยได้ (โปรดเลือกทุกข้อที่ตรงกับความเป็นจริง) □ เว็บโอแพค (Web Opac) □ ประมวลรายวิชา (course syllabus) □ เว็บไซต์ห้องสมุด □ □ เจ้าหน้าที่บรรณารักษ์ □ เว็บไซต์ของฐานข้อมูลนั้นๆ □ จดหมายข่าวห้องสมุด □ เพื่อน/เพื่อนร่วมงาน □ โปสเตอร์/แผ่นพับประชาสัมพันธ์จากห้องสมุด □ เสิร์ชเอนจิน (Google, Yahoo เป็นต้น) □ อื่นๆ (โปรดระบุ___________________________) 9. วัตถุประสงค์ในการใช้หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ที่มีให้บริการในห้องสมุดมหาวิทยาลัยของท่านคือ (โปรดเลือกทุกข้อที่ตรงกับความเป็นจริง) □ ความสนใจส่วนบุคคล □ □ □ เตรียมการสอน □ เตรียมตัวสอบ □ อ่านเพื่อความเพลิดเพลิน □ ประกอบการเขียนผลงานทางวิชาการ □ อื่นๆ (โปรดระบุ__________________________) 10. ท่านใช้อุปกรณ์ใดในการอ่าน/เข้าถึง หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ที่มีให้บริการในห้องสมุดมหาวิทยาลัย (โปรดเลือกทุกข้อที่ตรงกับความเป็นจริง) □ คอมพิวเตอร์โน้ตบุกส์ (laptop) □ เครื่องอ่านหนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ (e-reader) □ คอมพิวเตอร์ตั้งโต๊ะ (desktop computer) □ โทรศัพท์มือถือ
□ แท็บเล็ต (tablet PCs) □ อื่นๆ (โปรดระบุ__________________________) 11. ท่านใช้หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ประเภทใดจากห้องสมุดมหาวิทยาลัยมากที่สุด (โปรดเลือกทุกข้อที่ตรงกับความเป็นจริง) □ □ เอกสารรายงานทางวิชาการ (เช่น รายงานการวิจัย) □ หนังสือบันเทิงคดี (เช่น นวนิยาย) □ หนังสืออ้างอิง (เช่น พจนานุกรม, สารานุกรม) □ อื่นๆ (โปรดระบุ__________________________) ลักษณะการใช้หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ของห้องสมุดมหาวิทยาลัยของท่านเป็นอย่างไร (โปรดเลือกทุกข้อที่ตรงกับความเป็นจริง) □ เลือกอ่านเฉพาะบางตอนของหนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ □ อ่านโดยละเอียดตั้งแต่ต้นจนจบ □ อ่านผ่านๆ ตั้งแต่หน้าแรกจนถึงหน้าสุดท้าย □ □ ดาวน์โหลดตัวเล่มมาเก็บไว้เพื่อการอ่านในคราวต่อไป □ สั่งพิมพ์หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์เมื่อต้องการอ่าน □ วิธีอื่น (โปรดระบุ___________________________________________________) 13. ในความเห็นของท่าน อะไรคือคุณลักษณะพิเศษของหนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ 14. ลงในช่องที่ตรงตามความคิดเห็นของท่านมากที่สุด เห็นด้วย อย่างยิ่ง เห็นด้วย ไม่แน่ใจ ไม่เห็นด้วย ฉันอ่านหนังสือฉบับกระดาษ เป็นส่วนมาก
หนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์อย่างเพียงพอ ของฉัน เจ้าหน้าที่บรรณารักษ์พร้อมที่จะให้ความ 15. ในอีก 5 ปีข้างหน้า □ ฉันจะอ่านหนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์เป็นส่วนใหญ่ □ ฉันจะอ่านหนังสือฉบับกระดาษเป็นส่วนใหญ่ □ ฉันจะอ่านหนังสือทั้งฉบับอิเล็กทรอนิกส์และฉบับกระดาษควบคู่กันไป □ ไม่ทราบ □ อื่นๆ (โปรดระบุ___________________________________________________) 16. ในความเห็นของท่าน ท่านคิดว่าจะมีหนังสือประเภทใดและวัตถุประสงค์ในการอ่านชนิดใดเป็นพิเศษหรือไม่ ที่มีแนวโน้มที่จะถูกปรับเปลี่ยนไปสู่การใช้งานในรูปแบบอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ได้รวดเร็วกว่าชนิดอื่น □ มี (กรุณาระบุประเภทและวัตถุประสงค์จากตัวเลือกด้านล่าง) □ ไม่มี (ข้ามไปตอบข้อ 17) ประเภทของหนังสือ (โปรดเลือกทุกข้อที่ตรงกับความเป็นจริง) □ □ หนังสืออ้างอิง □ งานเขียนทางวิชาการ □ หนังสือคู่มือ □ หนังสือบันเทิงคดี □ อื่นๆ (โปรดระบุ___________________)
Appendix 6 Example of main codes and themes from librarian interviews (Phase 1) Example of codebook Theme Code Definition Example transcription Library management Centralised management The library management practice that all or most decision makers are located in the central library. “Here at the central library, we’re the hub of all branch libraries. We ordered and catalogued all library stuffs and sent them out to our branch libraries in other cities” Decentralised management The library management practice that the daily operations and decision-making can be done by middle and lower-level managers within the library. “Every branch library here has their own right of purchasing any resources into library. They have their own budgeting.”
Theme Code Description Example Reading purpose Academic The statement about academic reading “I was at home reading for my Operation management final exam.” Leisure The statement about leisure reading “This is the book I usually read on my free time.” Reading from print texts Pros The statement about advantages of reading from print texts “Reading from printed documents is way more comfortable for me. I can make notes or highlights the text directly on the paper.” Cons The statement about disadvantages of reading from print texts “For me, it’s just too tiring to carrying books around for reading.” Reading from screen Pros The statements about advantages of reading texts from a screen “Reading from a screen helps me to look for the content I need easier.” Cons The statements about disadvantages of reading texts from a screen “I can never read from a screen for a long time. It always cause me eyestrain.”