Date of Award

4-1-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Kay A. Keiser

Abstract

As the diversity amongst the student population in schools increase, it is important that teachers include literature that contain a variety of settings and themes that allow students to explore the diverse perspectives and cultures that surround them. Research has shown that including literature that reflects the diverse experiences of students not only increases individual student’s self-esteem and confidence, but the respect and empathy for other cultures. Therefore, supporting the need for teachers to be critical and intentional in the titles they select to read aloud is important. This phenomenographic research study identifies factors that influence how primary teachers in one Midwest suburban district select multicultural titles for classroom read alouds. For the purpose of this study, an open-ended questionnaire collected information from Kindergarten through second grade teachers in one Midwest, suburban school district to gain understanding into what multicultural titles were used in their classrooms and the factors and purpose that influenced their title selection process. Analysis of the responses indicated that illustrations, theme and culture were common factors that influenced teachers’ title selection process while holidays, curriculum and social emotional learning were the most common purposes of the titles selected.

Comments

A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education. Copyright 2020 Jennifer Lemke.

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