Areas of Research

• New literacies and social media
• Information literacy
• School librarianship in international contexts
• Teacher education and literacy education in Ethiopia

Current Research Projects

Ethiopia-Canada Educational Research Collaborative (with Dr. Teresa Dobson and Dr. Geoff Williams)
This project was initiated in response to requests from Ethiopian faculty for support in developing a contemporary research culture in their institutions. We are developing a set of joint research projects between faculty and students at Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar Universities in Ethiopia, and faculty and students in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, Canada. We are attempting to explore broadly the same research questions in both the Ethiopian and Canadian contexts, thus enabling a reciprocal exchange about research methodologies and outcomes across the national contexts. Our initial projects will have two foci: changes in the lives of youth produced by new digital media; and linguistic diversity in local school communities. In both, we are interested in implications of the findings for students' learning in and out of school. http://blogs.ubc.ca/ecerc/

Library Training Program in Ethiopia (with Dr. Geoff Williams)
The collaborative initiative between the UBC and the Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE) and CODE Ethiopia responds to the need for improved training of staff in community libraries and reading rooms. The program is designed to address the intended outcomes of the reading rooms specifically in the areas of literacy development and support of lifelong learning through effective use of information in print and digital formats.

Implications for Literacy Education of Online Video Sharing Applications (co-investigator with Dr. Teresa Dobson). This project examines the nature of the content and literacy practices on YouTube to identify implications of online video sharing sites for literacy and literary education.

Confrontations and Negotiations: Research Partnerships between Academics and Donor-based Organizations (co-investigator with Dr. Jon Shapiro). This project reviews the scope and nature of literacy research undertaken in foundations and donor-based organizations, and the literature that critiques the methodologies used and ideological premises of such research. The project aims to start a conversation in the literacy research community to develop guidelines for participation in non-academic research cultures.

A World Survey of National Libraries. This online survey gathers information on staffing levels, training of library professionals, resources in libraries, use of the internet, professional associations available for library staff, as well as the major issues facing libraries in 50 countries. Data from this project will be first step in building a global picture of libraries, particularly the place of school libraries, and the basis of new research questions and future studies.

Towards a Pedagogy for Using the Internet to Learn. This project works with teachers to develop teaching approaches and learning activities that support the particular challenges of learning the academic disciplines with online resources.

Adolescents' Internet Literacy. Humanities and Social Sciences, UBC. This project observes adolescents’ use of the Internet as do they homework, and examines parent, student and teacher views on internet use for learning the academic disciplines.

Teaching Information Literacy in the Middle Grades. SSHRC Standard Grant This project examines aspects of classroom and school library programs that help students effectively locate, evaluate, organize and communicate information.

New Literacies and New Libraries: The Expanding Role of the School Library. This project explores the role of school library programs in supporting today’s digital learners.

Assessment Practices of Reading and Writing with New Technologies: A Canadian Perspective. SSHRC Co-investigator: Margaret Early. This project explores the issues that those responsible for large scale assessment policies confront as literacy curricula expand to include ICT literacies.

Recently Published Work

Asselin, M.& Moayeri, M. (in press). New tools for new literacies research: An exploration of usability testing software. International Journal of Research and Method in Education.

Asselin, M.& Doiron, R. (2009). Libraries for education in Ethiopia. Reading Today, 26(5), 22.

Asselin, M.& Doiron, R. (2009). Supporting literacy in Ethiopia through libraries and reading rooms. Bookmark, 49 (III), 1 – 4.

Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. (2009). Reconnaissance and reflection: Foundations for collaborative international research with Canada and Ethiopia. Proceedings of the 2009 Research Forum of the International Association of School Librarianship, Padua, Italy.

Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. (Eds.) (2008). School Libraries Worldwide, 14(2). Editors of themed issue, New learners, new literacies, new libraries.

Asselin, M. & Moayeri, M. (2008). Toward a pedagogy for using the internet to learn: An examination of adolescent internet literacies and teachers, parents, and students’ recommendations for educational change. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship.

Asselin, M. & Lam, V. (2007). Learning to learn: An examination of instructional support during a grade 9 research project . Studies in Media and Information Literacy Education (4), 1-18.

Asselin, M., Early, M., & Filipenko, M. (2006). Accountability, assessment, and the literacies of information and communication technologies. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1), 670-689.

Doiron, R. & Asselin, M. (Eds.) (2005). Literacy, libraries and learning: Using books and online resources to promote reading, writing and research. Toronto, ON: Pembroke.

Asselin, M. (2005). Redefining the school library's role in literacy teaching and learning. In R. Doiron & M. Asselin (Eds.), Literacy, libraries and learning: Using books and online resources to promote reading, writing and research (pp. 9-19). Toronto, ON: Pembroke.

Henri, J. & Asselin, M. (Eds.) (2005). Leadership issues in the Information literate school community. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Asselin, M. (2005). Preparing preservice teachers as members of the information literate community. In J. Henri & M. Asselin (Eds.), Leadership issues in the information literate school community (pp. 187-202). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Asselin, M. (2005). Teaching information literacy in the information age: An examination of trends in the middle grades. School Libraries Worldwide, 11(1), 17-36.

Asselin, Marlene, Dreher, M J. (2004). New literacies for the new information age: Conceptions, instruction, and teacher preparation. National Reading Conference Yearbook (pp. 115-129) National Reading Conference.

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D. (Eds.) (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Library Association.

Asselin, M.& Doiron, R. (2003). An analysis of the inclusion of school library programs and services in the preparation of preservice teachers in Canadian universities. Behavioral and Socal Sciences Librarian, 22(1), 19-33.

Scott, J.A. Jamieson, D., & Asselin, M. (2003). Casting a broad net to catch vocabulary instruction. Elementary School Journal, 103(3), 269-286.

Asselin, M. & Lee, E. (2002). I wish someone had taught me: Information literacy in a teacher education program. Teacher Librarian, 30(2), 10 - 17.

Asselin, M. & Froese, V. (2002). Reading in Canada with a focus on British Columbia. In C. Papanastasiou & V. Froese (Eds.), Reading literacy: History, curriculum, and research. Cypress, Greece: Cypress University Press, 11-41.

Asselin, M. (2001). Grade 6 research process instruction: An observation study. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, XLVII(2), 123-140.

Asselin, M. (2000). Poised for change: Effects of a teacher education project on preservice teachers' knowledge of the school library program and role of the teacher-librarian. School Libraries Worldwide, 6(2), 72-87.

Asselin, M. (2000). Confronting assumptions: Preservice teachers' beliefs about reading and literature. Reading Psychology, 21(1), 31-57.

Asselin, M. (1999). Independent reading in the classroom: Starting points for partnerships with teachers. School Libraries in Canada, 18(3), 5-9.

Asselin, M. (1999). Planting the seeds of instructional partnerships: An exploratory study of preservice teachers learning to teach with teacher-librarians. In J. Henri & K. Bonanno (Eds.), The information literate school community. Wagga Wagga, Australia: Centre for Information Studies, 157-172.

Updated January 2010