| Description |
The diversity found in children's literature does not match the diversity found in the population of the United States. Although U.S. Census reports and projections show a rapidly diversifying population, especially among children, the children's publishing industry has been slow to diversify. This lack of diversity is a problem since research in the field of children's literature shows all children benefit from culturally diverse and culturally representative literature. While organizations like We Need Diverse Books and the Cooperative Children's Book Center continue to call the public's and the publishing companies' attention to the need for these types of books, there is not much research looking into how teachers are selecting classroom library books and read aloud books, and if they are considering cultural diversity and cultural representation. This mixed-method study utilizes quantitative and qualitative methods to discover the types of diversity found in books teachers select for their classroom libraries and read alouds and the factors impacting teachers' selections. Nine participants who graduated from the same teacher preparation program and were currently teaching in an upper elementary classroom were chosen purposefully to participate. First, a content analysis was conducted on their classroom library and read aloud collections to see what types of diversity were present. Then, participants were interviewed about how they selected books and the role cultural diversity and cultural representation played in their selections. The results of the content analysis showed teachers were mainly selecting books iv featuring White American protagonists without disabilities and without any identified sexual orientation. The authors and illustrators of these books were also predominantly White and without disabilities. During interviews, the participants described cost and familiarity as playing large roles in their selection processes. They did not actively seek out culturally diverse or culturally representative books, and they also seemed to think of students' diversity as hinderance to their learning instead of an asset. Future research should focus on teacher education programs to find out how these programs are preparing teachers for diverse classrooms including selecting books that reflect all students. |
