Asian American Children's Literature: A Qualitative Study of Cultural Authenticity
type: CreativeWork
description: The purpose of this study was to systematically analyze Asian-American children's trade books in terms of their cultural authenticity and to examine the perceptions of producers (authors) and consumers (teachers) as related to the cultural authenticity of such books. I wanted to understand the role of Asian-American children's trade books in research and classroom practice and also to understand the perspectives and preconceptions of these producers and consumers. By conducting this qualitative study on the cultural authenticity of Asian-American children's trade books, I hoped to fill a gap in the current discourse knowledge which does not adequately include the Asian-American experience. The following research questions guided my study: (1) How are Asian-Americans currently represented in children's trade books and how culturally authentic are these representations?, (2) What are teachers' perceptions of these representations?, (3) What are authors' perceptions of these representations?, and (4) How do insider and/or outsider perspectives and membership and/or nonmembership influence these perceptions? In order to address these questions, my methodology consisted of content analyses of 15 Asian-American contemporary realistic fiction trade books and in-depth qualitative interviews of four producers and four consumers. I analyzed books written by both members and nonmembers. Furthermore, I interviewed both members and nonmembers. Using a theoretical framework of critical literacy as the main guiding principle, I examined the intersections of power and perspective in order to determine their influences on people's judgment of what is culturally authentic. Adding to the research literature, this study was built upon the work of R. S. Bishop from her study conducted in 1982, Shadow and Substance, but departed in critical ways: (1) the seeking of multiple perspectives, (2) the use of multiple data sources, (3) the focus on Asian-American children's trade books, and (4)…
abstract: The purpose of this study was to systematically analyze Asian-American children's trade books in terms of their cultural authenticity and to examine the perceptions of producers (authors) and consumers (teachers) as related to the cultural authenticity of such books. I wanted to understand the role of Asian-American children's trade books in research and classroom practice and also to understand the perspectives and preconceptions of these producers and consumers. By conducting this qualitative study on the cultural authenticity of Asian-American children's trade books, I hoped to fill a gap in the current discourse knowledge which does not adequately include the Asian-American experience. The following research questions guided my study: (1) How are Asian-Americans currently represented in children's trade books and how culturally authentic are these representations?, (2) What are teachers' perceptions of these representations?, (3) What are authors' perceptions of these representations?, and (4) How do insider and/or outsider perspectives and membership and/or nonmembership influence these perceptions? In order to address these questions, my methodology consisted of content analyses of 15 Asian-American contemporary realistic fiction trade books and in-depth qualitative interviews of four producers and four consumers. I analyzed books written by both members and nonmembers. Furthermore, I interviewed both members and nonmembers. Using a theoretical framework of critical literacy as the main guiding principle, I examined the intersections of power and perspective in order to determine their influences on people's judgment of what is culturally authentic. Adding to the research literature, this study was built upon the work of R. S. Bishop from her study conducted in 1982, Shadow and Substance, but departed in critical ways: (1) the seeking of multiple perspectives, (2) the use of multiple data sources, (3) the focus on Asian-American children's trade books, and (4)…
author: Loh, Virginia S., EdD
keywords: authors, Asian Americans, children & youth, children's literature, contemporary realistic fiction, Content analysis, cultural authenticity, education, minority & ethnic groups, qualitative, representation, teachers, trade books, Leadership Studies
date published: 2008-05-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:41:49Z
provider: University of San Diego
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of San Diego