An exploratory study of the collaborative relationship between teachers and librarians in Singapore primary and secondary schools

Research on the collaborative relationship between teachers and school librarians in the developed nations of the Western world, particularly in the United States, has shown that overall student achievement and performance improves significantly with increased collaboration. In Singapore, very little research has been conducted on the collaborative relationship between teachers and school librarians. It was thus timely and necessary to examine the situation in Singapore schools, especially when established findings have favorably promoted this collaboration. This exploratory study investigated the level of collaboration between teachers and librarians in Singapore primary and secondary schools. A total of 76 teachers from seven schools participated in the study. The level of collaboration was very low and teachers had yet to regard the school librarian as an educational partner who could add value to the school curriculum. This article presents recommendations for promoting a more dynamic and effective collaborative relationship between teachers and school librarians in Singapore.