Clarity, Culture, and Complications: An Analysis of Spanish-English Dual-Language Concept Books

Autor/in	Domke, Lisa M.
Titel	Clarity, Culture, and Complications: An Analysis of Spanish-English Dual-Language Concept Books
Quelle	In: Journal of Children's Literature, 46 (2020) 1, S.23-36 (14 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1521-7779
Schlagwörter	Childrens Literature; Bilingual Instructional Materials; Literary Genres; Spanish; Cultural Awareness; Audiences; Content Analysis; Concept Formation; Reading Material Selection; Bilingualism; Literacy; English; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Vocabulary; Syntax; Illustrations + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? 'Children''s literature'; Kinderliteratur; Literarische Form; Spanisch; Cultural identity; Kulturelle Identität; Spectator; Zuschauer; Inhaltsanalyse; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Bilingualismus; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; English language; Englisch; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Wortschatz; Bildliche Darstellung
Abstract	Children's books work to balance many opposing forces. For instance, they are simultaneously written to be read aloud as well as independently and are written for children as well as the adults who purchase and often read them (Nodelman, 2008). Children's books also attempt to impart ideas while avoiding being overtly didactic (Hunt, 1999), yet they may focus solely on entertainment. Concept books--that is, informational texts that teach an abstract, foundational idea such as the alphabet, numbers, and colors through examples rather than topical explanations (Duke & Tower, 2004; Kiefer, 2009)--encompass even more opposing forces. Evaluation criteria for concept books and informational texts have frequently dealt with accurate content, a clear and engaging writing style, and visually interesting design elements that reinforce the information (e.g., Bamford & Kristo, 1998; Dowd & Lyday, 1991; Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe, 2009; Saul & Dieckman, 2005; Vardell, Hadaway, & Young, 2006; Young & Moss, 2006), but they have not discussed culture--something that dual-language books (DLBs) increased audience foregrounds. Considering culture when selecting concept books is essential because cultural knowledge affects reading comprehension (e.g., Droop & Verhoeven, 1998; Steffensen, Joag-Dev, & Anderson, 1979), and concepts themselves are inherently cultural because how one engages in daily life is embedded in culture (Nieto, 2017). While extant studies have investigated how children interact with concept books (e.g., Bradley & Jones, 2007; Chiong & DeLoache, 2013), few, if any, published content analyses have addressed how verbal and visual elements, in addition to cultural portrayals, interact in concept books to promote conceptual development. In fact, there have been few content analyses of informational texts in general (e.g., Crisp, 2015; Dávila, 2012; May et al., 2019). Therefore, this study sought to probe these issues in an effort to provide deeper understanding of dual-language concept books, as well as recommendations for book selection and use with multilingual learners. The purpose of this study was to examine the visual, verbal, and cultural elements of 10 recently published Spanish-English dual-language concept books and the ways in which these elements interact to communicate the books' concepts and the resulting potential impacts on biliteracy development. This literary content analysis reveals that books' conceptual presentations are often complicated by inconsistencies in vocabulary and syntax within and across languages, lack of clarity in illustrations, and book creators' agendas to teach cultural aspects. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Children's Literature Assembly. e-mail: info@childrensliteratureassembly.org; Web site: https://www.childrensliteratureassembly.org/journal.html
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01