Enhancing Multicultural Awareness through the Storybook Reading Experience.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of combining home and classroom reading experiences of multicultural storybooks on the awareness and attitudes of kindergarten, second grade, and fourth-grade students towards individuals representing other cultures, circumstances, or lifestyles. Two classrooms of students at each of the three grade levels participated in the study with one classroom at each grade level randomly specified as the Storybook Reading Group; the other served as the Control Group. The following question guided the study : Are pupils' attitudes toward multicultural diversity enhanced by exposure to multicultural literature ? At the beginning and at the end of the study, all participants responded to a survey which examined their attitudes towards aspects of diversity. Administration of the instrument at posttest time indicated that positive gains occurred in the Storybook Reading Groups at Grades 2 and 4. For kindergartners, positive gains occurred on six of the nine survey items. A different, and surprising pattern occurred in the control groups where there was overall negative change at all three grade levels. These findings suggest that without a diversity program children's appreciation of diversity may actually decrease across the school year