Influence of Preschool Librarians' Demographic Characteristics on their Library Discipline Practices: An Ex-post Facto Research

The success of various discipline practices in controlling children's behavior in the classroom has been a major source of concern among preschool librarians. Despite the relevance of library discipline in managing disruptive conduct in children, there appears to be a knowledge gap regarding the impact of preschool librarians' demographic features on their discipline practices. As a result, this study measured the influence/impact of preschool librarians' demographic factors on their library disciplinary practices using authoritarian behavioural theory. With a sample of 156 preschool librarians in Enugu State's Nsukka Education Zone, the study used an ex-post facto research design. The researchers developed and validated a preschool librarians' discipline practices questionnaire, which was used to collect data. The internal consistency reliability index of the questionnaire items was found to be 0.89 using the Cronbach alpha method. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The study's findings revealed that the age and marital status of preschool librarians had significant (p = .05) impacts on their library discipline practices. As a result, it was suggested that the Local Government Education Authority prioritize librarians' age and marital status while recruiting preschool librarians.