ERIC Number: ED328916
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1990-Dec
Pages: 39
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Assessing Teachers' Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature.
Thompson, Deborah L.; Meeks, Jane W.
A study examined teachers' familiarity with selected multi-ethnic literature and their use of it in literature-based classrooms. A questionnaire surveyed 50 elementary teachers of whom 30 were from a K-5 inner city elementary school with a literature-based reading program, and 20 were classroom teachers completing requirements for a graduate degree in reading or library science. The survey instrument was constructed from a variety of genres, such as poetry, picture books, and biographies, and titles were subsumed under the following headings: Asian-American, Jewish-American, African-American, Native-American, and Hispanic-American. Teachers responded to each title by circling statements on a Likert-type scale numbered from 1 to 6 indicating whether they: (1) had used this material in the classroom in group instruction; (2) had recommended it for recreational reading; (3) had recommended it for research, reference, or resource; (4) had used it as read-aloud by the teacher; (5) were familiar with the title but had not used the book; and (6) were not familiar with the book. Results showed that the majority of teachers in the study were not familiar with multi-ethnic literature, with the exception of a limited number of African-American titles. Uses of the books were mainly limited to the "recreational reading" and "read aloud" categories. (Six tables of data are included. Appendixes contain the survey instrument and five lists of selected children's multi-ethnic literature in the various ethnic categories.) (SR)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A