Portrayal of Traditional and Nontraditional Family Structure in Children's Books

Location

CSU

Student's Major

Psychology

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Rosemary Krawczyk

Mentor's Department

Psychology

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

The purpose of this study was to examine the portrayals of families in children's books. Families of elementary school children received a book list with teacher suggested readings, distributed to serve as a guide when selecting children's reading material. Sixty children's books were analyzed for the portrayal of traditional and nontraditional families. It was hypothesized that the recommended children's literature did not reflect the variety of family households existing today. Results indicate a significant unequal representation of nontraditional family portrayals within the chosen books. Unexpectedly, there were no portrayals of a nontraditional family involving a biological parent with a stepparent.

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Portrayal of Traditional and Nontraditional Family Structure in Children's Books

CSU

The purpose of this study was to examine the portrayals of families in children's books. Families of elementary school children received a book list with teacher suggested readings, distributed to serve as a guide when selecting children's reading material. Sixty children's books were analyzed for the portrayal of traditional and nontraditional families. It was hypothesized that the recommended children's literature did not reflect the variety of family households existing today. Results indicate a significant unequal representation of nontraditional family portrayals within the chosen books. Unexpectedly, there were no portrayals of a nontraditional family involving a biological parent with a stepparent.