Affective Change: Integrating Pre‐Sessions in the Students’ Classroom Prior to Library Instruction

Abstract

The study described in this article attempted to determine what effect a 10‐ to 20‐minute pre‐session given in the students’ classroom prior to a regularly scheduled library instruction session in the library had upon the affective experience of freshman composition students. Students in six paired classes were given pretest and post‐test questionnaires to determine if there was a difference in scores in four areas measured by the study: 1) library use and intended use; 2) feelings about the library; 3) attitudes toward librarians; and 4) perceived effectiveness of library instruction. According to Vidmar, the results of the study demonstrated that students felt better about the library, the librarians, and the research in general when exposed to a pre‐session.