Journal topic 1 The Matthew Effect

Describe the Matthew Effect. Have you seen examples of this in your school or library? How will this knowledge impact your actions as a librarian?

The "Matthew Effect" was a term originally coined for finance--"the rich get richer, the poor get poorer"--but it was co-opted by Keith Stanovich, a researcher and psychologist who specialized in reading and language disabilities. He used it to describe the phenomena of the widening gap between the "word-rich" and "word-poor". If children, especially those with learning disabilities, fail at reading and writing before their third year in elementary school and do not receive intervention on the parts of the parents or teachers, these children read less, learn less and fall further and further behind their peers. They lose out on knowledge, language skills, vocabulary building and self esteem, and this sets off a chain of events with repercussions that last through the rest of their lives. It is a testament to the importance of early reading--long before the child reaches school age--and how early detection and assistance for learning disabilities can do a world of good to turn a slow learner (and poor reader) into a fast learner (and successful reader).

I found this article both interesting and depressing. Life is already difficult for children with disabilities and their parents. These kids battle additional barriers to achieve even basic reading skills. It also greatly increases the pressure on the adults in their lives to work harder to ensure that they not only gain those skills but cultivate an appreciation of reading. If you add in such socioeconomic factors as poverty, drug addicted or incarcerated parents, crime, discrimination, instability of living conditions or other illnesses, these barriers grow exponentially.

I do not have any experience in witnessing this first hand at my work environment. I currently catalog law materials, and I do not have any interaction with the public. When I worked at the public library, the kids who had problems with reading didn't come up to the reference desk or ask for help. When I did assist children, it was difficult to fully discern their reading levels because my interactions with them were limited to just a few minutes, framed with the expectation that I would answer their questions and send them on their way. Parents would occasionally come up to the desk and ask for suggestions on how to better engage their child in reading. This, however, was more challenging without the child present to ask about topics of interest or better gauge their reading abilities. Teachers have a more hands-on, in-depth view of the Matthew Effect, but it's still incredibly difficult to not only spot a learning disability but intervene. How do they balance one-on-one attention with this student while also teaching the rest of the class? What if the school has strict rules on how to handle reading disabilities that may not be effective for a particular child? What if teachers are bound to a certain philosophy--phonics vs. whole language approach--and it's not working? And what if the situation is compounded by the child trying to learn when English is not his/her primary language?

All in all, it's daunting to think about how to reach these children effectively. Librarians, like teachers, must do their best to ask appropriate questions to root out the real informational need. Customer service and approachability need to be priorities so that children who need help won't be afraid to approach the desk. Librarians should continually add to their extensive knowledge on the body of literature for children, struggling students and their parents. Community resources, including those outside of the library or school, are also helpful. Librarians should compare and analyze electronic resources that focus on literacy and reading skills to know which ones are actually useful. Even if we do all of these things and more, there are times when we will not success in pulling these children out of the Matthew Effect. Librarians are not mind readers. We cannot reach every single person who needs help. We cannot undo years of mistreatment by parents, peers and teachers or eliminate a host of social, economic, racial or cultural problems that further disengage children from reading. We can only do the best we can with our clientele. Hopefully, we can reach as many people as possible and link them to resources that unlock the door to information, knowledge and lifelong success.

What is the Matthew effect? (2008) Retrieved September 3, 2009, from Wrightslaw.com Web site: http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/test.matthew.effect.htm

Kay, M. J. (1996). Matthew effect. Retrieved September 5, 2009, from http://www.margaretkay.com/Matthew%20Effect.htm