Cracked Windows, Broken Mirrors, and Closed Doors: A Critical Content Analysis of African American Children's Books

<p>ABSTRACT</p> <p>There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented in the illustrations and texts. Two research questions on African American life experiences and family culture were used to guide this study:</p> <ol> <li>How are life experiences of African American families represented in children’s picturebooks submitted to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) in 2017?</li> <li>How are African American characters and cultures portrayed in the illustrations and/or texts?</li> </ol> <p> I applied the critical race theory as a conceptual tool for analyzing how race and racism have been systematized and supported. Findings from this study indicate that the most prevalent life experiences found among the literature were the church, family, and music. Findings also indicate that the picturebooks did not represent a wealth of experiences that are present in African American families. Findings also indicate that the selected picturebook subset did not have enough culturally responsive books in the collection. Implications for families as well as teachers are included.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Year

2019

Author dc:creator

• World, Tiffany

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Neporcha Cone
• Dr. Raynice Jean-Sigur
• Dr. Camille Sutton-Brown-Fox

• African American picturebooks
• critical content analysis
• culturally responsive pedagogy
• critical race theory
• Early Childhood Education
• Educational Methods
• Elementary Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/eecedoc_etd/2

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu:eecedoc_etd-1003