One of the questions Marit Vik has asked herself is: do picturebooks reflect a diverse society in a way that allows all children to find characters they can identify with?
To answer this, she has analysed the content of three kindergarten libraries based on whether one can find diverse perspectives in the picturebooks, and whether one can find a diversity of different text types or text genres in these libraries.
"An important finding is that there are few picturebooks with diversity perspectives, even though the interviews reveal that kindergarten teachers strongly prioritize diversity", Marit Vik writes to inn.no
Through interviews with kindergarten teachers, Marit Vik points out connections between how children are stimulated by different picturebooks, what is conveyed through the picturebooks, and what kinds of reading experiences children gain.
In addition, a read-aloud session is analysed, focusing on the children’s responses and the interaction during the reading activity.
According to Vik, "This read-aloud event demonstrates the benefits of a liberal and inclusive reading environment."
The thesis calls for the research field to place greater emphasis on diversity in picturebooks.
"I encourage publishers, municipal libraries and funding authorities to ensure the development of innovative and diverse picturebooks that reaches all readers", says Marit Vik.
The thesis is titled "Exploring Diversity in Picturebooks? -A Study of Texts and Text practices in Kindergarten".
Vik has been affiliated with the PhD programme in Educational Sciences at INN University.
The main findings of the doctoral research:
- The research interviews with kindergarten teachers reveal a wide range of text practices across the different kindergartens.
- There are also varying understandings of how literature should be conveyed to children.
- The findings from the kindergartens’ libraries show that a diverse selection of picturebooks gives children the opportunity to experience different types of literature, but that diversity perspectives in the books only to a limited extent represent various ethnicities, religions, gender identities, and family structures.
- Despite the limited presence of diversity perspectives in the picturebooks found in the kindergarten libraries, the kindergarten teachers interviewed express a strong desire to prioritize diversity.
- The findings from the read-aloud of a postmodern text show that textual gaps are well-suited to stimulate children's imagination and help create space for diverse interpretations.
- Another finding from the analysis of the read-aloud situation is that it was characterized by a liberal reading environment, which allowed children to develop different interpretations of the picturebook through play-based readings.