Tsai, Jennifer Pei-Miao (2010) Journeying : young children’s responses to picture books of traumatic and sensitive issues. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This study investigates the response of a class of 35 seven and eight year old
children to ten picture books with difficult, traumatic subject matter. Two of
the stories deal with areas of emotional loss, including the death of a
grandfather; five stories take the area of the Holocaust as their central theme,
and three are stories of earthquakes, with the consequent loss of life and
destruction. My research findings contribute to the study of children’s
literature in education by uniquely analysing and giving insight into especially
young children’s responses to this particular genre of children’s literature. In
this research programme, the children are invited to engage in reading and
four designed activities emerged for response: the central importance of
spoken language, the place of writing to capture meaning and significance,
the value of drawing to enhance understanding and the place of imaginative
role play as children worked on their impressions of events in the stories.
My central research questions are: What is young children’s understanding of
and response to texts and pictures in selected children’s picture books of
trauma? In what ways might young children’s responses to these issues and
their accompanying activities reshape their critical thinking? What have I, as
the researcher, learnt about my role as a teacher through teaching traumatic
issues?
The study was conducted in Taiwan using participatory action research
methods. My evidence shows that these children are capable of understanding
complex and disturbing situations that underpin the picture book narratives.
They used their social, interactive, verbal, emotional and imaginative skills to
respond to the texts in powerful ways. The significance of the teacher’s role as
a listener, questioner and learner was crucial in helping to motive and engage
the children. The study’s findings are that picture books that deal with
disturbing human issues can be introduced as part of a planned programme of Arts and Life education in Grades 1 to 6 of the primary school curriculum and
that children as young as seven are capable of responding to them with
maturity and sophistication.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Picture books for children -- Educational aspects, Disasters -- Pictorial works, Death -- Pictorial works, Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Pictorial works, Child psychology
Official Date:	May 2010
Dates:	Date Event May 2010 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Institute of Education
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Minns, Hilary ; Wilkie-Stibbs, Christine, 1948-
Extent:	xii, 390 leaves : ill.
Language:	eng

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