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Abstract:
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The emergence of diverse demographics in the school setting have compelled teachers to contemplate the best practices for developing a cultural awareness that will help students better understand their peers, thus alleviating stereotypes and ethnocentrism, and promoting tolerance and sensitivity in classrooms. Using international literature in the classroom can help students acquire a multicultural and universal understanding (Louie & Louie, 1999). The purpose of this study was to determine the benefits of sharing international texts in a kindergarten classroom. Specifically, the study examined the use of international literature and its effects on student literacy development by means of engagement.
The qualitative study included 26 kindergarten students, situated in a K-5 elementary school, in the Northern Sacramento area. Students participated in a 25-day unit called, “Around the World” where they listened to read alouds from different regions of the world. Daily assignments included post-reading activities, country worksheets, and reader response journals.
Pre- and post-surveys, individual student interviews, observations, anecdotal notes, student reader response journals, audio and video recordings, and post-reading activities provided relevant data to ascertain the outcomes of the study.
Upon the closing of the study, findings revealed that sharing international literature in kindergarten engaged students in learning. As a result, the students’ writing and reading skills were developed, they were motivated to preview and read international texts, they distinguished similarities and differences between America and other countries, and they enjoyed international literature. These outcomes support the necessity to integrate international literature in schools to open students’ minds to new diverse literature and cultures. |
