Searching for Equity Within Children's Literature: A Professor and Students' Journey of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

Author

Beth LattanziFollow

Date of Award

Spring 4-24-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed.D. Transformational Teaching and Learning

First Advisor

Amy Pfeiler- Wunder

Second Advisor

Catherine McGeehan

Third Advisor

Rosanne Perkins

Abstract

Children's literature, books written specifically for children ages birth through fourth grade, is a core resource in early childhood education and is heavily used as part of the instruction of pre-service students. Many professors of early childhood educators take great pride in their personal classroom libraries, often including favorite books from their schooling and pre-service days. A professor's personal classroom library consists of children's books used within the classroom, books used as examples, and books loaned to students for assignments. Pre-service students get excited to share their favorite books in class and in their field placements. After years of teaching the children's literature course, I began to flesh out patterns of inequity and exclusion as I repeatedly saw the same white authors, illustrators, and white-dominated stories. Was my classroom collection of children's literature diverse and inclusive of all cultures and races? Was it representative of the student population in both the classroom and placement settings? Was I doing a dis-service to the pre-service students by not looking at the classroom collection through a more critical, inclusive lens? Using the same popular stories, authors, and illustrators, was I establishing a pattern showcasing the overabundance of whiteness in children's literature? In this action research study, I worked alongside pre-service students for two semesters, looking critically at the books associated with my children's literature course through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The students and I completed an equity audit on my personal classroom library collection. Using an electronic equity audit called CAT, the tool looked at strengths, needs, and patterns found within a collection of literature, such as bi/multiracial/mixed characters represented in the collection. I used this tool to better understand if students self-actualized their positionality and identified the amount of mono-cultural literature used within children's literature. The data gathered through field notes, a teacher journal, and class artifacts was used with the explicit plan to transform pre-service students to expand their framework of thinking to be more diverse, inclusive, and culturally responsive teachers. This research project highlights what changes, if any, occurred due to the equity audit and course assessments.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Lattanzi, Beth, "Searching for Equity Within Children's Literature: A Professor and Students' Journey of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging" (2024). Education Doctorate Dissertations. 43.
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/edddissertations/43