ERIC Number: EJ1451363
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 15
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1521-7779
EISSN: N/A
Imagining the World: Young Children's Engagement with Picturebook Representations of Cultural Diversity
Angela M. Wiseman; Bethany P. Lewis; Jill F. Grifenhagen; Corrie H. Dobis
Journal of Children's Literature, v50 n2 p38-52 2024
Picturebooks can broaden students' understanding of diverse experiences and perspectives, both within and beyond their own worlds; in addition, picturebooks can affirm students' identities (Botelho & Rudman, 2009) and create spaces for critical conversations. Using the theoretical framework for critical multicultural analysis, this qualitative case study investigated one avenue for integrating cultural diversity--themed texts into a kindergarten classroom with the usage of interactive read-aloud techniques. In the session described in this article, young children drew and wrote responses after engaging in an interactive read-aloud of "The Proudest Blue" (Muhammad & Ali, 2019) in their classroom. "The Proudest Blue" reflects the author's older sister's first day wearing a hijab at school but also shows how some children reflected xenophobic attitudes. The research question that focused the study was: How do kindergarteners conceptualize culture, gender, religion, or race through writing and drawing as they respond to an interactive read-aloud of "The Proudest Blue?" These results provide insight into how kindergarteners visually respond to interactive read-alouds when experiencing a book focused on cultural and religious diversity.
Descriptors: Childrens Literature, Picture Books, Cultural Pluralism, Stranger Reactions, Reading Aloud to Others, Teaching Methods, Kindergarten, Race, Gender Differences, Clothing, Muslims, Childrens Attitudes, Religion, Diversity, Self Concept, Freehand Drawing, Multicultural Education, Writing (Composition)
Children's Literature Assembly. e-mail: info@childrensliteratureassembly.org; Web site: https://www.childrensliteratureassembly.org/journal.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A