INFLUENCE OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULE FOCUSED ON THE RESEARCH-BASED EVIDENCE OF THE CULTURE AND GENDER BIAS FOUND IN DISNEY ANIMATED FAIRY TALES ON PREPRIMARY EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS
by
Ruth A. Doran
A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of
The College of Education
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Education
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
April 2009
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to express her sincere thanks for the support, attention, guidance, and assistance given by the distinguished members of her committee,
Dr. Nancy Brown, Dr. Michael Budd, Dr. Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski, and most of all, to her Chair, Dr. Gail Burnaford, to whom she will always be indebted.
ii
ABSTRACT
Author: Ruth A. Doran
Title: Influence of a Professional Development Module Focused on the
Research-Based Evidence of Culture and Gender Bias Found in
Disney Animated Fairy Tale Media on Preprimary Early
Childhood Teachers
Institution: Florida Atlantic University
Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Gail E. Burnaford
Degree: Doctor of Education
Year: 2009
Disney commands a strong market presence worldwide in print and multimedia products used for early childhood entertainment. Yet, the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media has been well documented. Although preprimary early childhood teachers are urged to maintain a multicultural environment that is free of bias and stereotypes, very little training or support is presented to guide preprimary early childhood teachers in the selection of materials for use in their preprimary early childhood classrooms.
The study sought to investigate the influence of a professional development module focused on the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale
iii media on preprimary early childhood teachers. How would they respond to this professional development module? Would it change their intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children? Would the participation in this preprimary early childhood professional development module actually change their practice?
Using both quantitative and qualitative inquiries, participating preprimary early education teachers reported mixed findings. While some preprimary early childhood teachers were clearly influenced by their discovery of the existence of bias in this media, others revealed a cognitive dissonance from a strong personal and emotional attachment to Disney animated fairy tale media products juxtaposed against the evidence of cultural and gender bias found in the media.
Implications and suggestions for future research included the expansion of professional development modules and higher education/teacher education to include the study and consideration of the content of children‟s media. Policymakers and advocates need to address concerns of bias found in children‟s media with respect to gender and cultural bias development during the preoperative developmental stage of preprimary children. Further, interdisciplinary discussion needs to address the concern of the influence of media on the holistic development of young children.
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DEDICATION
This manuscript is dedicated to my mother and late father, in fulfillment of a dream to honor them. I also dedicate this work to my niece Ashley, in the spirit to keep that dream alive.
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INFLUENCE OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULE FOCUSED
ON THE RESEARCH-BASED EVIDENCE OF THE CULTURE AND GENDER
BIAS FOUND IN DISNEY ANIMATED FAIRY TALES ON PREPRIMARY
EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS
List of Tables………………………………………… ...... x
Introduction ...... 1
Statement of the Problem……...... 4
Research Questions……...... 4
Significance of the Study ...... 5
Purpose of the Study ...... 8
Limitations and Delimitations...... 9
Definition of Terms...... 12
Organization of the Study ...... 15
Review of the Literature...... 16
Professional Development in Florida...... 16
Child Development ...... 18
Identity Formation ...... 22
Fairy Tales in the Curriculum...... 23
Media Literacy ...... 28
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United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ...... 31
Anti-Bias Curriculum Standards ...... 32
On the Nature of Fairy Tales ...... 37
On the Nature of Disney Animated Fairy Tale Media...... 39
On the Nature of Animation...... 41
Professional Development ...... 47
Methods...... 51
Research Design...... 51
Research Sites ...... 52
Research Questions ...... 53
Participants ...... 53
Study Procedure...... 57
Instrumentation and Data Collection Procedure...... 60
Data Analysis ...... 65
Results ...... 66
Introduction ...... 66
Findings As Related to Research Questions ...... 75
Survey Analyses...... 82
Discussion ...... 91
Summary of the Study ...... 92
Discussion ...... 92
Research Question #1 ...... 94
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Research Question #2...... 99
Research Question #3...... 101
Implications...... 103
Recommendations for Future Research ...... 105
Appendixes...... 109
References...... 155
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. A Florida County‟s Demographics: Population Totals and Ethnicity
Breakdown ...... 10
Table 2. A Florida County‟s Demographics: Adult Gender and Age Distribution ..... 11
Table 3. A Florida County‟s Demographics: Number of Preprimary Children in
Total Population ...... 11
Table 4. A Southeast Florida County‟s Child Care Centers by Type ...... 55
Table 5. Summary of Questions Asked of Preprimary Early Childhood Teachers
During Focus Group Interviews...... 64
Table 6. Participant Demographics: Percent Represented by Age Group,
Educational Level, and Ethnicity ...... 68
Table 7. Ethnicity of Participants by Professional Development Module Session ...... 70
Table 8. Age of Participant by Professional Development Module Session………….71
Table 9. Educational Level of Participants by Professional Development Module
Session ...... 72
Table 10. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #1 of Survey #2 ...... 73
Table 11. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #2 of Survey #2 ...... 74
Table 12. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #3, Item #4, and Item #5
of Survey #2 ...... 75
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Table 13. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #1 of Survey #1 and
Survey #3 ...... 84
Table 14. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #2 of Survey #1 and
Survey #3 ...... 84
Table 15. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #3 of Survey #1 and
Survey #3 ...... 85
Table 16. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #4 of Survey #1 and
Survey #3 ...... 86
Table 17. Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #5 of Survey #1 and
Survey #3 ...... 87
Table 18. One-Sample Statistics of the immediate pre-post differences related to the
professional development module ...... 88
Table 19. One-Sample Test of the immediate pre-post differences related to the
professional development module ...... 88
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CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Professional development in the child care workforce is an area of increasing attention and concern among policy makers. According to a national study done in 2002, there are significant numbers of teachers of 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States, of which only 44% have college degrees with early childhood education coursework completed (Saluja, Early, & Clifford, 2002). Yet, it is widely held that quality in early childhood education and care programs is linked to training, ratios, and compensation
(National Association of the Education of Young Children, 1995). Formal and informal education and training, which comprise professional development experiences, contribute to skills in serving children and families in early childhood education and care programs are vital for quality in early childhood programs (Maxwell, Field, & Clifford, 2006).
In the State of Florida, all child care workers, and workers in family child care homes, are required by Florida Statute #402.305(2)(d)(4) (Online Sunshine, 2008) to take ten hours of annual in-service training (informal) between July 1 and June 30th of each year. This requirement is also reflected and required in the licensing requirements of child care centers and family care homes in a county in southeastern Florida and is enforced through the local county health department. The State of Florida, in support of professional development opportunities for the workforce engaged as teachers with early
1 learning in educational settings, has made available, free of charge, and on-line, professional development modules. One module, “Basic Guidance and Discipline,” includes a brief reference to cultural sensitivity, but it is related to the different family parenting styles one is likely to encounter as an early childhood professional
(“developing respect and understanding for individual differences”). In the mandated early literacy course, “Early Literacy for Children Age Birth to Three,” issues of cultural and gender biases are not identified at all. Rather, this course identifies the key components for early literacy for children as “…communicating with responsive adults; music, playing and pretending; interacting with others; and pleasurable experiences with pictures and books” (Florida Department of Children and Families, 2009a). This is a critical issue, given the diversity found in the early childhood education and care population in South Florida. Missing from this training is a component for educators regarding the selection and content of appropriate media to support and enhance early learning according to anti-bias curricular standards.
This omission takes on additional significance when considered in the context of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). In this initiative, early childhood is identified as a critical period of cognitive development in the area of language and early literacy (including pre-reading skills), and NCLB stresses early literacy as a key component of later academic success (U.S. Department of
Education, 2002). With the advent of NCLB, policymakers throughout the nation have relied upon studies which demonstrate the value of quality early childhood experiences and programs in school readiness outcomes (High Scope Perry Preschool Project, Ready
2 to Learn, Eager to Learn, and The Abecedarian Project) (Morrison, 2006). The conclusions in these studies are similar: Quality early childhood programs enhance cognitive development and support school readiness across all learning domains (Estes,
2004; Morrison, 2006; Neuman, Copple, & Brekecamp, 2000).
In Florida, voluntary, universal prekindergarten services were added by a constitutional amendment in 2000, and were initially implemented in August, 2005.
Although the voters specified “high quality,” the actual regulations that the legislative body approved disappointed many early childhood advocates. The popular understanding of curricular models is, at best, diffused, due to a lack of research, a general lack of understanding about developmentally appropriate curricular models in preprimary settings, and the relatively new emphasis on the field of early childhood education and care as a targeted component of later academic success. Regardless of the curriculum employed, teachers select materials, choose activities, and impart guidance. For example, in one local county, the licensing guidelines include language that minimally supports classroom design and furnishings, but the only reference to curricular choice is labeled vaguely as “…age-appropriate activities” (Palm Beach County Health Department,
2005). The State of Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten Program requires that curriculum provide for the age appropriate development of capabilities, capacities, and skills of the four year old children enrolled in the program. Each provider is free to design and implement curriculum, unless placed on probation (Florida Department of Education,
2007).
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Statement of the Problem
Under-trained, inexperienced early childhood teachers are primarily left to their own resources in selecting pre-primary learning experiences for early learners within a broad spectrum of non-custodial care settings (Bowman, Donovan, & Burns, 2000).
Within the popular culture, the media effectively represents the educational system of the general public (Gerbner, 1997). The Disney Corporation produces children‟s media in text and film based on fairy tales and containing powerful gender and cultural messages that are being transmitted to young consumers of this media (Sun & Picker, 2001). The
A.B.C. Task Force, in its book, “Anti-Bias Curriculum,” advocates the use of media that does not contain cultural and gender bias (Derman-Sparks, 1989). As very young children are engaged in the Piagetian pre-operational stage of development where socialization is the central focus (Piaget, 1963), the issue of content takes on significance. Early childhood teachers are unwittingly caught in powerful marketing campaigns and cross- currents and might choose Disney animated fairy tale media for use in their preprimary early childhood classrooms. The challenge is to investigate how a professional development initiative may influence these intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary aged children and perhaps impact future decision making regarding the use of fairy tale media in preprimary early childhood classrooms.
Research Questions
1. How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional
development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender
bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?
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2. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟
intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood
children?
3. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟
actual media choice for use in preprimary early childhood classrooms?
Significance of the Study
This study is significant in several ways. The researcher investigated, with surveys and focus groups, how a professional development module focused on research- based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in top-grossing, Disney fairy tale animated media was received by teachers of preprimary aged children, and if this experience of a professional development module changed the intention of these teachers to change their patterns of use of this media, as well as the choices teachers made with respect to the use of this media. If professional development of this type is effective in engaging teachers to consider their preconceptions of fairy tale media and how those preconceptions influence curricular choices for their classrooms, then it was hoped that this study would make a contribution to the field by suggesting elements of such professional development that may be replicable.
Over 66% of four year old children are enrolled in some form of non-custodial care arrangement, and this number is rising annually. This means that today‟s early learners will be the majority of our future citizenry (National Child Care Information
Center, 2006). All of these children are enrolled in programs with blurred specifications and recommendations for how they will spend their day and which toys, books, media,
5 and other curricular materials will be used. There is no shortage of selection in the popular marketplace. In fact, the Disney Corporation enjoys undisputed prominence in the market of childhood media used in both entertainment and educational settings.
Giroux (1999) observed that “Disney is profoundly pedagogical in its attempt to produce specific knowledge, values, and desires.” Today, the Disney Corporation is the sixth largest transnational multimedia corporation in the world, and is heavily invested in the corporate image of innocence and as a leader of wholesome, family entertainment, and optimal childhood experience. Its financial success is evidenced by the rankings of the sales of videotapes and DVD‟s; eight of the ten top-grossing animations worldwide are
Disney products. Its reported three billion dollar commodity share in the secondary market from their print and animated media materials further support their claim to be world leaders in developmentally appropriate and child-friendly materials (Artz, 2005).
While there is little research exploring the actual use of Disney materials in preschool settings, one might assume that with powerful, multi-million dollar, interrelated advertising and promotion, together with the historical dominance of their products, movies, and theme parks equating family entertainment, it may be no surprise that undertrained early childhood teachers might reach for Disney products as they build their curriculum in the field of early childhood education and care. Further, this study focused on Florida teachers, who have a close proximity to Disney World. What are these early childhood teachers offering to children when these materials are selected? Do these materials carry messages in keeping with widely accepted anti-bias curricular standards
6 as set forth by the Anti-Bias Taskforce? What messages do these materials convey to young learners?
For early childhood advocates, what young children should be learning, how young children should be learning it, and how that learning is to be evaluated are central issues related to the provision of services (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). In addition to physical and cognitive growth, for very young learners, aged zero to five, socialization is a primary psychological and developmental process. Cultural values are transmitted to young learners engaged in the socialization process (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997; Estes,
2004; Good & Brophy, 1995; Morrison, 2006; Piaget, 1963).
Further, the degree to which a child absorbs cultural bias is founded in socialization processes, the hallmark of the early learning years. According to the A.B.C.
Task Force, early childhood literature and media play a strong role in the development of cultural bias during these formative years (Derman-Sparks, 1989). In a study examining the acquisition of linguistic prejudice through animation, Pandey discovered that very young learners (three and a half years of age) absorb linguistic prejudice (individually predetermined negative attitudes formed about a person or persons using the idioms, speech patterns, and/or accents of the spoken word) through animation (Pandey, 1997).
She found that animated media is a powerful pedagogical instrument, conveying attitudes and social value systems to the child viewer (Pandey, 1997). People in general, and young children in particular (due to their developmental stage), “…can and do permanently absorb values and behaviors directly from the media they consume”
(Sammond, 2005).
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Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a professional development module focused on research-based evidence of the cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales on classroom choices made by preprimary early childhood teachers. The messages and views present in the world‟s most popular animated children‟s films are “articulated within the realm of fantasy and pretend, [yet] are firmly rooted within the material world and have very real consequences for those living in the real world” (Cokely, 2002). This study may suggest a methodology for raising awareness regarding the anti-bias gender and multicultural content of children‟s media products and will inform preprimary early childhood educators how to be better consumers and make educationally sound choices of animated films for young learners.
This study employed a multi-method, quasi-experimental research design with pre- and post-professional development module Likert-scaled surveys and focus groups that assessed the responses of early childhood teachers to the research based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in the Disney animated fairy tale media which sought to determine the intention of these participants to modify their use of this media with preprimary aged children.
The professional development module consisted of three scripted lectures, a film, and a focus group interview. The lectures elaborated on children‟s development from a
Piagetian perspective (preoperational stage) with a special emphasis on the significance of socialization in the preprimary years; anti-bias curriculum standards and evidence of
8 gender and cultural bias found in children‟s products; and a section on identifying fairy tale media as distinct from folk tales or other fantasy stories followed by a brief historical perspective of the Disney animated fairy tales.
Following the lectures, participants viewed the DVD, Mickey Mouse Monopoly, distributed by the Media Education Foundation (MEF, 2006). At the 2005 annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, international media expert Diane E. Levin, Ph.D., recommended the use of MEF‟s film,
Mickey Mouse Monopoly, as an ideal training video for the influences of gender and cultural bias in Disney animations (Levin, 2005).
A focus group was facilitated at the conclusion of the professional development module in order to determine what the group found to be important about the module rather than what they found to be interesting. Discussion about the cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media was facilitated, with emphasis on the self- reported determinations of intention to change their pattern of use of Disney animated fairy tale media in the classroom with preprimary early childhood children.
Limitations and Delimitations
A limitation of this study is that the researcher served as the change agent insofar as she conducted the professional development modules. Further, the impact of the professional development module may influence the immediate intentions of the participants, but not reflect lasting change. Also, this study is limited to the early childhood professionals in one local county in southeastern Florida. Another limitation of this study is that it relied upon the self-reporting found in the surveys and focus groups.
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As a result, this research cannot predict the actual choices teachers will make in the early childhood preprimary classroom with respect to the selection of animated media. In addition, the geographical proximity to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, might influence the amount of material that is available to preprimary early childhood professionals in a southeastern county in Florida. In addition, the complete professional development module consisted of one four-hour session.
A delimitation of this study was the diversified selection of preschool teacher participants (age, ethnicity, culture, and/or educational level) from early childhood settings in one county in southeastern Florida. The demographics found in the county where this research took place are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3 below (Palm Beach
County Department of Building and Zoning, 2008).
Table 1
A Florida County’s Demographics: Population Totals and Ethnicity Breakdown Ethnicity Totals %
White 914,878 72
African American 201,201 16
Asian 27,119 2.0
Native American 4,970 0.4
Pacific Islander 319 .03
Other 103,721 8.0
Two or More Races 14,243 1.0
Total 1,266,451 100.0
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Table 2
A Florida County’s Demographics: Adult Gender and Age Distribution Adult Gender Totals %
18 Years and Over 998,357 79.0
Male 616,633 49.0
Female 647,818 51.0
Age Distribution
Under 5 years 76,211 6.0
5 to 14 years 144,121 11.0
15 to 19 years 74,792 6.0
20 to 44 years 376,215 30.0
45 to 64 years 320,719 25.0
65 and over 274,393 22.0
Median age (years) 42.9 (X)
Table 3
A Florida County’s Demographics: Number of Preprimary Children in Total Population Preprimary Children Totals %
Under 5 years 76,211 6.0
Enrolled in nursery or preschool 20,666 2.1
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Definition of Terms
For the purpose of this study, the following terms are defined:
A.B.C. Task Force: (Anti-Bias Curriculum Task Force): a national organization dedicated to promoting anti-bias curricular standards.
Anti-bias: verbal and non-verbal language: promotes acceptance and inclusion; values human diversity; and promotes justice.
Animation: an animated cartoon.
Animated cartoon: a motion picture or television film, video, or DVD consisting of a photographed series of drawings, objects, or computer graphics that simulates motion by recording very slight, continuous changes in the images, frame by frame.
Anti-bias curriculum: suggestions for helping staff and children respect one another as individuals, and confronting, transcending, and eliminating barriers based on race, culture, gender, social class, religion, or physical and mental abilities, including strategies for learning to identify and resist stereotyping and discriminatory behavior
(Derman-Sparks, 1989).
Bias: “Any attitude, belief, or feeling that results in, and helps to justify, unfair treatment of an individual because of his or her identity” (Derman-Sparks, 1989). Bias also refers to a general or specific prejudice, having a predilection to one particular point of view, preconceived ideas, or ideological perspective, as is the case with institutional bias.
Custodial Care: The term which signifies the parents or legal guardian of a pre- primary aged child.
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Culture: “…includes ethnicity, racial identity, economic level, family structure, language, and religious and political beliefs” (National Association for the Education of
Young Children, 2005).
Disney and the Disney Company: are registered trademarks of The Walt Disney
Company. This dissertation is not approved by or endorsed by The Walt Disney
Company.
Diversity: a term referring to the integration of representatives from different groups of people, identified by some defining characteristic such as race, gender, culture, social class, ability, etc.
Early Childhood: the period of life from zero to eight years old, with a special emphasis in this study on children aged three to five.
Fairy Tale: the sub-grouping of folk tales that contain magical elements and frequently pit good against evil (Temple, Martinez, Yokota, & Taylor, 2002).
Folk Tales: stories orally passed down from generation to generation to communicate cultural values that are modified as they are told to remain current in their contextual frame. Folk tales are categorized as pour quoi tales, tall tales, or fairy tales.
(Temple et al., 2002).
Genre: categories of children‟s literature sharing specific characteristics.
Institutional Bias: institutional bias is the bias that is either deliberate or entirely unconscious and is systematically found within organizations, institutions, or in the broader culture. For example, it may be perceived that women are better cooks, or men are better soldiers, without basis in fact.
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Linguistic Prejudice: individually predetermined negative attitudes formed about a person or persons using the idioms, speech patterns, and/or accents of the spoken word.
Media Literacy: ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of formats in both print and non-print, visual and/or auditory formats.
Multicultural Education: term which is essentially interchangeable with anti-bias curriculum, but which is restricted primarily to those issues, which pertain to race and culture only. Other issues relating to race, culture, gender, social class, religion, and physical and mental abilities are considered in anti-bias curriculum and education.
Multicultural education includes strategies for learning to identify and resist stereotyping and discriminatory behaviors.
NAEYC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, a national organization for early childhood professionals, with over 100,000 members.
Participants: For the purpose of this study, a “participant” is an early childhood teacher who has enrolled in the professional development module offered in this study.
Platinum Edition: A marketing label used by Disney to indicate its top-grossing animated products. Fourteen titles have attained “platinum” status.
Pourquoi tales: the sub-grouping of folk tales that answer the question “why” or have a moral affiliated with them (Temple et al., 2002).
Preschooler: A pre-primary aged child, generally between birth and five, with a special emphasis on 3-5 year olds.
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Professional development module: A planned, educational experience designed and intended to increase quality and professionalism in a given profession; in this study, early childhood education and care. Professional development modules may take the form of formal education, training, or credentialing. In this particular study, a four hour professional development module was presented and was not connected to a degree.
Secondary markets: The merchandising and sale of character-based materials, which are promoted indirectly through animated and print media.
Stereotype: refers to “an oversimplified generalization about a particular group, race, or sex, which usually carries derogatory implication” (Derman-Sparks, 1989).
Tall tales: The sub-grouping of folk tales that communicate historical facts or idealized figures (Temple et al., 2002).
Organization of the Study
Chapter 1 includes the introduction, problem statement, purpose, background information, significance of the study, research questions, and the definition of terms.
Chapter 2 contains the related literature review and research pertinent to the study.
Chapter 3 describes the methods employed in this study, and describes, in detail, the research design, sample selection, participant selection, procedures and how the data will be analyzed as well as the limitations and delimitations of the study. Chapter 4 reviews and examines in detail the data collected. Chapter 5 discusses a summary of findings, conclusions, and recommendations for further study and application of the findings.
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CHAPTER 2
Review of the Literature
In this chapter, a multidimensional theoretical literature framework will be discussed, which includes: professional development modules used by preprimary early childhood teachers; the child as a learner; and how children learn and adopt cultural and gender biases while engaged in socialization processes during the preprimary developmental stage from a Piagetian contextual framework. Additionally, key criteria for determining anti-bias content will be examined. Finally, the nature of fairy tales, as well as the representation of those fairy tales by the Disney Corporation in animated media, will be explored.
Professional Development in Florida
By law, Florida Statute #402.305(2)(d)(4) (Online Sunshine, 2008) requires that preprimary early childhood teachers engage in approved ten hours (or one continuing education unit) of in-service training annually. Annual in-service training must be completed during the state‟s fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30, in any of the following areas:
1. Health and safety, including universal precautions;
2. CPR;
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3. First aid (this training may only be taken to meet the in-service requirement once
every 3 years);
4. Nutrition;
5. Child development – typical and atypical;
6. Child transportation and safety;
7. Behavior management;
8. Working with families;
9. Design and use of child oriented space;
10. Community, health and social service resources;
11. Child abuse;
12. Child care for multilingual children;
13. Working with children with disabilities in child care;
14. Outdoor play safety;
15. Guidance and discipline;
16. Computer technology;
17. Leadership development/program management and staff supervision;
18. Age appropriate lesson planning;
19. Homework assistance;
20. Developing special interest centers/spaces and environments;
21. Literacy;
22. Other course areas relating to child care or child care management.
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Missing from this list is a specific component for best practices in anti-bias curriculum for early childhood or issues in multiculturalism. Yet, a population of children speaking a total of 43 languages, representing a variety of different cultures, presented in the school system in 2005 (The School Board of Palm Beach County, 2005).
Child Development
It is important to consider child development as a contextual frame for the consideration of the use of fairy tale literature and animations in preprimary curriculum.
Jean Piaget‟s theory of developmental stages provides the theoretical underpinnings for many approaches to early childhood education and care around the world. Piaget‟s theory of cognition includes the notion that a child passes through a series of developmental stages in an invariant manner that is also transformative, meaning that the quality of later intellectual behavior depends on the quality of the experiences that preceded it. Preschool children are typically engaged in the preoperational period of human development
(typically age two through seven) (Ariel, 2002; Good & Brophy, 1995; Gruber &
Voneche, 1995; Piaget, 1963).
The term “preoperational” is used precisely because children have not yet reached the point of engaging in logical or operational thought. In this stage, children are egocentric, meaning that they have not learned to consider things from another‟s perspective, rendering objectivity impossible. Young children also attribute life to inanimate objects, believing that these objects have a mind of their own (animism).
Piaget noted that children engaged in the preoperational stage do not think abstractly, objectively, or in a logical sequence. As explained by Piaget, these developmental
18 hallmarks of the preoperational stage preclude young children from the strategies necessary to properly distinguish fantasy from reality, because developmentally, their cognitive ability to process information is structurally limited. Instead, reality consists of whatever is felt, seen, or heard, at any given moment (Piaget, 1963). Also, they are just learning cause and effect relationships.
These unrealistic perceptions of the young child give rise to irrational fears of abandonment; of attacks by monsters hiding in closets or under beds; of being alone in the dark; and/or of witches, ghosts, dragons, and other creatures of fantasy. Since fantasy literature (such as fairy tales) cannot be distinguished as make-believe material and is often interpreted literally by the child, new fears may be created by reading stories to him or her about monsters, evil witches, trolls, giants, and other scary characters (Whitin,
1994). This endorsement by trusted adults (via storytelling) adds credibility and power to the ethereal and undefined fears of the young child. To attempt to explain to very young children that their fears are illogical and unfounded can be a futile exercise as the child is governed by what is perceived at this age level (Mitchell, 1982).
Young children need to feel confident and strong in their own right to achieve a fully positive self-image at this stage in their social development (Gruber & Voneche,
1995). Media can serve to erode a young learner‟s ability to fully and effectively socialize by replacing primary, personal experience with secondhand experiences, where the child passively watches others (animated characters) do things and react to situations.
In addition, the imitative play that accompanies the toys sold (passively promoted by the animations) reduces children‟s ability to develop their own scripts and schema based on
19 their own needs (Levin, 1998). Yet, the importance of young children‟s imaginative play and its impact on their cognitive and language development is well established in early childhood learning theories (Ariel, 2002; Johnson, Christie, & Yawkey, 1987; Piaget,
1963).
Several aspects of young children‟s capacities to learn are important to consider when planning activities and choosing media. Preschool children typically are learning the following processes: analysis (breaking down material into component parts to understand the structure, seeing similarities and differences); synthesis (putting parts together to form a new whole, rearranging, reorganizing); and evaluation (judging the value of tangible materials based on definite criteria) (Yelland, 2000). Young children also need to express ideas through different, expressive avenues and symbolic media.
Communication with the world is accomplished with a combination of methods. Children need and seek to increase competence and integration across formats including words, gestures, drawings, paintings, sculpture, construction, music, dramatic play, movement and dance (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997).
It is essential to remember that the preschool years are a time when children are very vulnerable and impressionable. Many early childhood theorists and developmental psychologists believe that the experiences of this period of life will forever shape that life. Most of us never lose the paradigms we first assimilated in childhood (Matthews,
1994). When these paradigms are communicated through animated imagery, the implications cannot be dismissed. Auditory and visual images are very powerful tools for learning. It can be argued that the media can and does influence behavior, especially that
20 of children. “Throughout the 1920s and 1930s social scientists attempted to measure film‟s effects and concluded that movies shape young viewer‟s attitudes, influenced their play, … and formed stereotypes in their mind” (Woll & Miller, 1987). All of this supports the argument that “…very young children‟s understanding and perception of animated programming is not simply lower than older children, it is qualitatively different” (Clifford, Gunter, & McAleer, 1995). Further observation and discourse is warranted to determine the relative benefits, if any, of the use of animated and print media fairy tales for preprimary aged children in terms of the development of their cognitive and socialization skills.
The Disney Corporation‟s founder, Walt Disney, perceived a young child as a tabula rasa. He realized that the quality of experiences in early childhood would affect the life of a child profoundly (Giroux, 1999). This is precisely where Walt Disney,
Piaget, and other developmental theorists converge: young learners are exceptionally impressionable and wide open to the cultural messages that are presented to them as reality. What is remarkable is that parents, theorists, and corporate executives all ignore what is known to be best practices in their selection of media and entertainment for young children. The Disney Corporation‟s understanding of its role in shaping young lives has not changed over the years. Children are perceived as a specific market for corporations who seek to enhance profits for their stockholders. An elaborate interconnection of all corporate activities identify young learners as young consumers.
“The specific appeal of Disneyland, Disney films, and Disney products – family entertainment – comes from the contagious appeal of innocence… obviously, Disney
21 characters strike a universal chord with children, all of whom share an innocence and openness before they become completely molded by their respective societies” (Michael
Eisner as quoted in Giroux, 1999, p.32).
Identity Formation
How is identity formed in very young children? Identity is formed by a number of factors. “If even the most insignificant gestures and habits are repeated before a child, they become for him [her] integral elements of an immutable order that must not be challenged….The child applies it, not only to his [her] own conduct, but to everything in his [her] small world. He [she] almost comes to see it as a kind of general law valid for everything that in his eyes pertains to humanity” (Durkheim, 1925).
With respect to identify formation in the young child, and how cultural values
(and biases) are learned, the contemporary anthropologic scholar, Mach (1993, p. 29) observes:
Symbolic forms like rituals, ceremonies, myths, festivities, art, literature, are the
way in which a group, a community or a state organizes the intellectual and
emotional framework of its members' lives, confirming its value system, social
norms and goals, and legitimizing social order. In such a way group identity is
created, maintained, and transformed together with the identity of other groups
with which one's own group has relations. In this way also, control over people is
executed by organizing their experience, by attaching emotional, ideological, and
moral values to their thoughts and actions, and by classifying and judging their
behavior according to the group's normative system.
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Fairy Tales in the Curriculum
In this context, then, what is the effect of a preschool curriculum infused with fairy tale animated media on the holistic development of preprimary, preschool-aged children? What fairy tales do provide (as a genre) are rich imaginative resources and pre- packaged visual symbols. However, as delineated above, preprimary children need activities which provide rich sensory resources so that their natural strengths of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation may be exercised. Do fairy tale animated media help to answer these mandates? Or does the powerful imaginative modeling provided by fairy tale animated media promote imitative play, with the corresponding reduction of imagination and the personal development of ideas? When fairy tales are filled with powerful images, are young learners overwhelmed by these images and soundtracks?
Studies conducted with preschoolers for the internationally successful (albeit painstakingly engineered), Sesame Street television show revealed that preschoolers were the most interested in fantasy characters and lost attention in the show when real characters were dominant on the set. In spite of the recommendations by the developmental psychologists on the staff not to mix fantasy and reality to avoid confusing preschoolers, the marketing staff had to proceed with the mix in order to guarantee the show‟s success. By carefully recording the attention preschoolers paid to the messages in the show, the staff of Sesame Street discovered that preschoolers watch media in short snippets of attention (three to four minutes) before turning their attention, however briefly, to something else occurring in their environment. These three to four
23 minute bursts of attention are most riveted when fantasy characters are present in the media (Gladwell, 2002).
Although, in a Piagetian developmental context, many young children cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, parents and educators alike continue to choose fantasy- type literature as appropriate for very young children, perhaps because of the interest preschoolers show for the medium, as well as the interest demonstrated by the parents and teachers in the medium as well. This is particularly true of Disney products, judging from their worldwide rank in the sale of products in the secondary market. Curiously, one of the reasons preschool children enjoy fairy tales is their very inability to think abstractly. From age three to five they are magical thinkers, believing that thinking something causes it to be so. This is supported directly by Piaget‟s research (Piaget,
1963). Liberal leaps over logical progression are the norm in preschool aged children‟s processing of information (Brierly, 1994). Fantasy, therefore, is highly desirable for young children.
Research indicates that gender plays a role in the selection of literature. Collins-
Standley, Gan, and Yu (1996) published a study in which they showed two- to four-year- old students book covers depicting fairy tale characters in scary, violent, or romantic situations. They then asked the children which book cover they would choose and prefer to “read”. Boys overwhelmingly preferred the violent book cover, while girls slightly preferred the romantic book cover. The strength of the girls‟ preference increased as they aged, whereas the boys‟ preference remained strong from age two to five. The contributing factors to this study are very difficult to isolate: how much of the choice was
24 constructed as a result of the life-long promptings by the media and popular culture? For very young learners, literature, and specifically animated literature, plays a role in the development of young children as no other medium can. Young children are not necessarily educated consumers, and they may be under equipped to truly choose what to view and how to analyze the messages that are contained in the medium.
The use of fairy tale literature with young children who have progressed to
Piagets‟ concrete operational stage is widely supported (Bettelheim, 1976; Elkind, 1987;
Zipes, 1979). Bettelheim also shares the relevance of the transmission of one‟s cultural heritage contained within the unique nature of fairy tales. To Bettelheim, the fairy tale is an art form fully comprehensible to the child. Although most fairy tales fundamentally transcend both time and borders, it is important to remember that frequently, cultural variations on basic fairy-tale themes reflect the values and identities of the societies they represent. For example, the Western fairy tales support principles of revenge and justice
(by the destruction of evil, even vigilante justice is endorsed), and that one must pay for one‟s sins. Western fairy tales grapple with the “seven deadly sins” of greed, vanity, gluttony, lust, deceit, sloth, and envy, and typically a fairy tale theme constellates around one of these sins. This explains the emotional fervor of children to certain fairy tales: the issues s/he is grappling with are found in the tale (Cashdan, 1999). While lessons found in fairy tales communicate aspects of our cultural heritage, they cannot be viewed as a therapeutic and/or developmental imperative for young children (Zipes, 1979). This, too, is where the standardized, corporate formulas promoted by the Disney Corporation lose some of the merits of the fairy tale as a conveyer of culture. The fact that the Disney
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Corporation is a for-profit organization does not necessarily mean that the messages are negative; however, with the strict protocols adopted by the Disney Corporation, the fairy tales blur into one another: the underlying themes are the same, and those themes support the dominant culture (Giroux, 1999).
Maria Montessori was also widely known to be an avid opponent of the use of fairy tales in the early childhood setting, preferring, instead, to guide children to realistic thinking and to the conscious examination of reality (Montessori, 1972). Fairy tales are illogical for children, and the confusion of the tales is a burden on the imaginations of the preprimary student (Wolffheim, 1953). Another consideration is the representation of gender imbedded within the fairy tales. Are women portrayed as competent and self- reliant figures, or do we meet incompetent and flawed characters, or cruel and wicked witches, stepmothers, and queens? What about religious and spiritual implications of fairy tales? In how many fairy tales do the characters die and return to life? The deconstruction of individual fairy tales will not be attempted here, but these questions are significant when we reflect upon the curricular choices we make on behalf of children entrusted to our care.
Strategies that work in early childhood settings include the promotion of imaginative and creative play (rather than imitative play). All children are exposed to some degree of fairy tales and fantasy stories, either in print or in the media in some form. Although peer pressure can sometimes be a factor to consider, by careful observation of young children‟s play themes, a sensitive teacher can help to redirect
26 imitative play scripted by fairy tales into other activities that challenge young learners to generate their own imaginative and creative alternatives (Levin, 2003).
The marketing of Disney products has extended into the international context.
“The Disney stores promote the consumer products, which promote the theme parks, which promote the TV shows. The TV shows promote the company. Roger Rabbit promotes Christmas at Disneyland” (Michael Eisner as quoted in Giroux, 1999, p.1). It is important to be aware of the forces at work in “family” entertainment and literature while selecting experiences for very young children. However, it is nearly impossible to control the conglomerates that promote fairy tales and focus on profits. As Zipes (1979) points out, educators truly interested in aiding children in their development of critical and imaginative capacities must first seek to alter the social organization of culture and work.
Is it possible for corporations to profit and at the same time respect the developmental needs of young children? Do animated and printed fairy tales support imagination, or do they aid in supplanting imagination with the intrusion of powerful, archetypical imagery intended for an older audience? As the internationally recognized philosopher, Gareth
Matthews observed, “The Disney Corporation is far too casual in its rewritten portrayal and abuse of powerful archetypes” (personal communication, September 1, 2005).
Further, the electronic age has contributed another consideration: with the advent of video and DVD and the essentially universal access to these media through publicly- accessed broadcasts, increasing numbers of children are repeatedly exposed to these animations. Continuous exposure to the media enhances the potency of the imagery with respect to its ability to influence the way young children think or feel (Pandey, 1997).
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The expansion of animated media imagery into a range of secondary market products is another reason why the messages are carefully examined.
Media Literacy
The issues of media literacy and ethical considerations of the media are topics of concern to many educators and scholars of popular culture. When considering media literacy, cognition is but one part; also to be considered are emotional, aesthetic, and moral information components.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (2001) has issued stern recommendations regarding the preschool consumption of media, recommending a maximum of no more than 1-2 hours per day of high quality, educational programming for children over two years of age (p. 424). For children under two years of age, the AAP recommends no media consumption at all (p. 424). They advocate the position that content is important in children‟s media and also that children‟s perceptions and behaviors may be influenced by the media that is consumed. The AAP has underscored
Piaget‟s developmental theories to state that many young children cannot discriminate between what they see in the media from what is real and cite possible and detrimental health and behavioral impacts on young children.
Other national organizations highlight the significance of media literacy and underscore the need to develop discrimination in using media for both children and adults. However, for very young children, their developmental stage does not afford the discrimination that is required to maximize the benefits of media and media education.
Why, then, are children consuming media in record amounts? This is a very significant
28 question as parents and teachers actually make the purchases. The Alliance for a Media
Literate America (AMLA) (2005), is a national organization which promotes the positive consumption of media. They endorse educational programming for preschoolers which focuses on conflict resolution, literacy, and numeracy. AMLA has created the position of
Content Advisor for Children‟s Media, (Board Member and media veteran Sherri Hope
Culver), underscoring their commitment to quality in children‟s media (Alliance for a
Media Literate America, 2005).
Another national leader in media literacy organizations is the New Mexico Media
Literacy Project (NMMLP) (2007), responsible for the widespread distribution of media literacy products and training for K-12 teachers to be educated consumers and advocates regarding children‟s media. Although this organization is a national leader, specific information for preschool children‟s consumption of media is not a focused topic on their website, a significant omission.
Another leading national organization promoting media literacy is the Action
Coalition for Media Education (ACME) (2007). They offer one or two day workshops to promote media literacy, although nothing is specifically offered for preprimary children or their teachers. Their focus is media related to public health, strengthening democracy, and youth activism.
The Media Education Foundation (MEF) (2006) in Northhampton, Massachusetts, is the national leader in the production of academic videos, study guides, and literature deconstructing media messages and cultural hegemony. While they have not focused specifically on preschool children‟s consumption of media to date, other materials
29 contain relevant contributions to this research. George Gerbner, an international luminary in media and culture, has produced a number of videos through the Media Education
Foundation. According to Gerbner (1997), human beings learn culture by the transmission of stories, which socialize members in the culture in ways to think about the world. He observes that for the first time in history, a child today is born into a cultural environment where the stories are not told by parents, schools, or the church, but by a
“shrinking group of global conglomerates who have very little to tell and a lot to sell.”
Gerbner shows us that first, media is constructed, and then, that media constructs reality.
We, as consumers, negotiate and interpret the media. This is the skill that is not yet developed in very young learners, and why it is so critical that preprimary early education teachers understand the significance of their choice of animated media for very young children.
One media literacy national institute, which focuses specifically on preschoolers and the media, is the Media Wise Early Childhood Program. This is a change model for parents and educators to increase awareness, promote understanding, and develop plans and strategies to encourage healthy media consumption habits among preschoolers. This organization also sponsored significant research gathering data regarding the media consumption of children aged two to eighteen, which has been cited by the American
Academy of Pediatrics. As a result of this research, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time whatsoever for children aged zero to two and to limit screen time to less than two hours per day for children aged two to five in favor of traditional environmental stimulation for optimal brain development (AAP, 2001).
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United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (1989), an international children‟s rights treaty, addresses children and the media (Convention on the Rights of the Child. (1989). Although the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by 193 countries, with the exception of the United States and Somalia, the
CRC aspires to important goals and standards. Specifically, children should not be subjected to exploitation by the media for commercial or other purposes. Article 17 directly addresses mass media as follows:
States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and
shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity
of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of
his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health.
To this end, States Parties shall:
(a) Encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material of social
and cultural benefit to the child and in accordance with the spirit of article 29;
(b) Encourage international co-operation in the production, exchange and
dissemination of such information and material from a diversity of cultural,
national and international sources;
(c) Encourage the production and dissemination of children's books;
(d) Encourage the mass media to have particular regard to the linguistic needs of
the child who belongs to a minority group or who is indigenous;
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(e) Encourage the development of appropriate guidelines for the protection of the
child from information and material injurious to his or her well-being, bearing in
mind the provisions of articles 13 and 18.
Article 17 refers to Articles 13, 18, and 29 in the body of its text. Article 13 relates to the child‟s right to freedom of expression in media, and Article 18 refers to the rights of the parents or legal guardians to choose in the child‟s best interests as their principle concern. Article 29 of the Convention states that the education of the child shall be directed to “The development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own;” and “The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin” (CRC) 1989). As animated and print media are promoted and distributed to children on a massive global scale, the standards as ratified by the United Nations need careful consideration.
Anti-Bias Curriculum Standards
How do preprimary early childhood educators support the Convention for the
Rights of the Child with respect to choice in animated media, particularly as many are not aware of the CRC at all? In order to help preschoolers learn tolerance in a multicultural society, many early childhood educators in high quality child care programs have adopted the anti-bias curricular standards outlined by the A.B. C. Task Force and Louise Derman-
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Sparks (1989). The strength of anti-bias curriculum is found in its integration into the day-to-day activities of preschoolers (Wu, 2000). Like any other developmentally appropriate curricula, anti-bias curriculum is not a rigid set of practices and activities, but rather, a set of guidelines and standards used to integrate and establish bias-free environments and curricular content in early childhood programs, with the intent to help children become sensitive to issues surrounding diversity (Riehl, 1993).
The A.B.C. Task Force was a group of twelve diverse early childhood educators and advocates who gathered in the 1980s and worked together for two years to conceptualize and implement anti-bias curricular standards into developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education and care programs. These experts worked with Louise Derman-Sparks, a professor at Pacific Oaks College in California, with 25 years of experience as a Piagetian early childhood educator (including as a member of the team of the Ypsilanti Perry Preschool Program).
The A.B.C. Task Force cautions early childhood educators not to get caught in the
“tourist curriculum” trap that often haunts multicultural education efforts. In this trap, educators help to walk students through other countries and cultures, frequently sampling food, and inspecting other artifacts and customs such as special dances, clothing, or customs. The problem with this approach is that subliminally, we are teaching young children to view these other cultures in such a way that we “visit‟ them and then return to what is “normal.” Ultimately, this approach is condescending, superficial, and limiting and does little to foster an inclusive approach. According to the A.B.C. Task Force, it is
33 far better to just include anti-bias strategies as an integrated daily part of the curriculum and as reflected in relationships (Derman-Sparks, 1989).
An inventory of an early childhood classroom might very well reveal the need to enhance anti-bias curricular approaches. For example, do the art materials contain multiple colors of yarn from which to make all shades of hair, and/ or construction paper from which to create different shades of faces? Are the materials reflective of a diverse society in natural proportions (not “tokenism” where representatives are included as a defensive posture)? Do the available children‟s books reflect societal diversity?
Achieving a 50/50 balance is not the goal; rather, a natural, inclusive, harmonic environment in which equality is expected and effortlessly communicated is (Riehl,
1993).
The A.B.C. Task Force promotes a quick checklist to analyze books for sexism and racism (Derman-Sparks, 1989). This list is intended to sensitize parents and teachers as to how bias might exist in books and other media. These tenets would be applicable to other children‟s media, including animated films (L. Derman-Sparks, personal communication, December 10, 2005). They are as follows:
1. Check the illustrations
a. Look for stereotypes. Look for over simplified generalizations of various
groups, which usually do not portray these groups favorably.
b. Look for tokenism. If there are minority figures included in the materials,
are they just the same as the white figures, just presented in a different
shade? Are the people genuinely original, different individuals?
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c. Who is doing what? Is it the white or minority characters that are making
the decisions, assuming leadership roles, or are passive and subservient?
2. Check the story line.
a. Standards for success: Do minority characters need to have extraordinary
abilities to be accepted by the popular culture of the storyline? Do minority
characters exhibit most of the accommodating behavior?
b. Resolution of problems: Are the problems faced by the minority person
resolved by the intervention of the white person (or male character in the
case of gender bias)? Are the oppressive and unjust circumstances endured
by women and minorities accepted as an inevitable societal consequence?
Are the characters passively accepting their fate or actively resisting
injustice?
c. Gender roles. Could the same story be told if the sex roles were reversed?
Must girls succeed by the merits of their looks or relationships with boys?
Are the achievements modeled by the female characters as a result of their
own initiative and talents?
3. Look at the lifestyles. Are negative value judgments attached to minority
characters? Are minorities integrated in white neighborhoods and working
environments in the stories?
4. Weigh the relationships between people. Are white men in positions of authority
and leadership to the exclusion of women and minorities (who are in subordinate,
supportive roles)?
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5. Note the heroes. When minority heroes appear, is it for the same type of
achievement that distinguishes white heroes? Do minority heroes depicted benefit
white people? The answer to the following question determines the degree of bias
in hero materials: “whose interests is a particular hero really serving?”
6. Consider the effects on a child‟s self image. Does the book reinforce the images of
white as being associated with beauty, cleanliness, virtue, etc., and the color black
as evil, dirty, menacing, etc? Do elements in the book reinforce or counteract these
associations? In a particular story, are there one or more minority characters with
whom a minority child can readily identify to a positive end?
7. Consider the author‟s or illustrator‟s background. If the author is not a member of
the minority represented in the book, is there some experience which might qualify
him or her to write the book?
8. Check out the author‟s perspective. No author can be totally objective – each has a
specific cultural as well as personal perspective. It is important to note from which
“group” the author originates.
9. Watch for loaded words. Are adjectives used that are pejorative in nature? Is there
sexist language, which in any way demeans females? Is the male pronoun used to
refer to both males and females?
10. What is the copyright date? Prior to 1960, very little existed in children‟s literature
that is based on minority themes. Non sexist books were rarely, if ever, published
prior to 1972.
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Sensitive early childhood professionals recognize that very young children live in a diverse society and incorporate anti-bias and multicultural principles, resources, and activities into the early childhood classroom (Derman-Sparks, 1993). To embrace diversity is to reveal to children that most differences are good, and that discriminatory acts are unjust and to be avoided. Embracing diversity also encourages children to act as their own advocates, to resist inequality and discriminatory activities.
On the Nature of Fairy Tales
What are fairy tales? Folk tales are stories orally passed down from generation to generation that are modified as they are told to remain current in their contextual frame.
Folk tales are categorized as pour quoi tales, tall tales, or fairy tales. Pour quoi tales are stories that answer “why” or have a moral, such as fables. Tall tales are characterized by legends, and communicate historical facts or admirable traits of idealized figures. Fairy tales contain the grouping of stories that frequently feature fairy godmothers or contain other emphases on magical elements (Temple et al., 2002). Folk tales and fables were not originally written for children; they were intended to reflect philosophical thought. More often than not, early tales depicted adult customs, beliefs, and habits of a particular time
(Morgan, 1999). Oral tales were told by adults for adults. The purpose of the oral folk tale was to foster a sense of belonging and hope that miracles were possible for a better world (Zipes, 1979). They were closely connected to the customs, beliefs, and rituals of tribes and communities. Oral folk tales were interactive, where the audience could participate and even modify the tales to fit the needs of the community. The animated
37 fairy tales found in Disney‟s top-grossing film media work on the “transmission” model.
Consumers of this media are silent, passive recipients of the stories.
It is rather remarkable that over the years, fairy tales have become staples in the lives of young children. Actually, fairy tales became staples in children‟s literature only since the nineteenth century. In the United States, “chapmen” (peddlers) traveled from town to town selling sundries and “chapbooks” (fairy tales) that were made popular by the young readers at the time. Fairy tales had their beginning in children‟s literature, then, as a marketing tool for cheap vendors (Cashdan, 1999).
Although fairy and folk tales have been part of civilization since recorded history, curiously, they haven‟t always been a staple in the lives of children. It wasn‟t until Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the second edition of their Children’s and Household
Tales in 1812-1815 that fairy tales were written down specifically for a child audience
(Zipes, 1979).
Since about 1800, the role of fairy tales in education has consistently drawn attention and animated discussion. Those who oppose the use of fairy tale literature with young children believe that this literature negatively impacts on children‟s lives, resulting in a decrease in the development of children‟s imaginative play. Children imitate the content of fairy tales in their play, and also project fearful fairy tale concepts during the course of their daily experiences. Additionally, to opponents, reality-based literature promotes rich discourse and normative play, which supports the development of imagination (Levin, 2003; Mitchell, 1982; Wolffheim, 1953). Advocates of the use of fairy tale literature with young children cite the development of the id, the resolutions of
38 complex archetypical elements of development, and the provision of models of resolution of the triumph of good over evil. Advocates of the use of fairy tale literature also espouse the role this genre plays in the transmission of cultural components within the construction of ethnic identity (Bettelheim, 1976; Cashdan, 1999; Temple et al., 2002).
On the Nature of Disney Fairy Tale Animated Media
“We just make the pictures, and let the professors tell us what they mean” (Walt
Disney as quoted in Bell, Haas, & Sells, 1995, p 1). Disney based its earliest and most successful animations on fairy tales, in part, due to their longevity in our collective cultural ethos (including re-releases). For example, Cinderella first made her debut in 400
AD China, and has traveled through most cultures and societies ever since (Sur LaLune
Fairy Tales, 2005). In most cases, the original author(s) of these stories have faded into unrecorded history, with the accompanying lack of copyright restrictions for their use.
Disney was so successful in the appropriation of fairy tales that his name has eclipsed the names of Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and others
(Zipes, 1995). By using time-tested fairy tales as the foundation of their most enduring and popular animated products, Disney “…cleverly manipulates the intense affect that surrounds childhood for its own gain” (Sammond, 2005).
Disney‟s appropriated fairy tales echo and use, but do not necessarily draw on, a literary fairy tale tradition. In addition, this results in the loss of the original cultural context of the fairy tale. “Crucially and deterministically, contemporary Disney texts use songs and choreography from a utopian musical tradition and Broadway conventions that prioritize the use of spectacle as narrative, and contextualize, filter and/or resist quasi-
39 political messages and meanings within the parameters of „romantic yearning” (Wells,
2002). In other words, Disney has scrubbed the fairy tale clean of the original cultural uses by infusing its corporate signature throughout the fairy tale and by redefining powerful archetypes.
At one time, the Disney Corporation was dedicated to the production of entertainment. “We have but one thought, and that is for good entertainment. We like to have a point to our stories, not an obvious moral but a worthwhile theme. Our most important aim is to develop definite personalities in our cartoon characters …We invest them with life by endowing them with human weaknesses which we exaggerate in a humorous way. Rather than a caricature of individuals, our work is a caricature of life”
(Walt Disney as quoted in Wells, 2002, p 103).
While consumers of popular culture may believe that the Disney Corporation is still dedicated to providing age-appropriate family entertainment, the undisguised truth is that the Disney Corporation now exists to produce profits. As outgoing CEO, Michael
Eisner, stated so succinctly: “Disney has no obligation to make history, art, or a statement, but simply to make money” (Michael Eisner as quoted in Sun & Picker, 2001. conclusion section). Do they succeed in making money? Absolutely, the answer is yes.
Disney has grown from a net worth of three billion in 1984 to over sixty billion in 2005 and holds an “…undisputed world leader in media and entertainment...” ranking according to CEO Bob Iger in the introduction of the 2005 Walt Disney Company
Annual Report. Disney‟s heaviest profits come from its animation division, accounting for more than 70% of the corporation‟s profits. The sales of print media are also
40 significant, as Disney is also the world‟s largest publisher of children‟s books and magazines. These media alone are “read by 100 million people in 55 languages in 74 countries” (Walt Disney Company Annual Report, 2004). In 2005, Mickey Mouse
Magazine became the number one children‟s magazine in China, where 91 million children acquired Disney animated media, and where Disney-branded programming blocks and Disney Clubs reach an additional 380 million Chinese households alone. In addition to China, Russia and India are promising to be strong consumers of Disney products and media and the infrastructure to maximize distribution (and profits) are being finalized as this is written. In short, there is no end in sight (Walt Disney Company
Annual Report, 2005).
On the Nature of Animation
“When we consider a new project, we really study it…not just the surface idea, but everything about it” (Walt Disney, as quoted in Thomas & Johnston, 1984, p. 63).
Animation, simplistically, the art of making films frame by frame, is a designed and developed art form that can be targeted to evoke specific psychological and, in some cases, physiological responses. Walt Disney was widely regarded as an American genius with his ability to shape reality with color, musical scores, character development, shape, and size (Capodagli, 1999; Maltin, 2000). Although Walt Disney was not the inventor of this genre (Felix the Cat predated Disney‟s Steamboat Willie), he became, nonetheless, the undisputed champion of animation. Warner Brothers President, Max Howard, concedes that Disney has earned a place in the hearts and minds of our society and will
41 go to see a Disney movie, even if the reviews are not the best. (Schweizer & Schweizer,
1998).
Smoodin (1993, 1994) notes that the nature of animation may be under-examined by scholarly discourse, slipping by as “children‟s entertainment.” However, the messages embedded within the animated tale are laden with issues of power, social control, behavior, cultural attitudes, and even intercultural relations. According to Smoodin
(1994), animations have taken the dual role of “educator and entertainer,” an issue that this study will begin to address.
What is the Disney Corporate formula for animation? “Looking for creative variation in Disney is like looking for menu choices in McDonald's or some other industrialized fast food chain” (Artz, 2005). The repetition of format across various marketed genre serve to align children to process media messages according to targeted corporate goals. Strict adherence to the corporate guidelines “aligns long-term vision with short-term execution” (Capodagli, 1999). First, they implement the seven steps – the corporate protocol -- in animating a scene:
1. Contemplation. In this stage, the true reasons why the scene should be
included in the animation are examined in depth.
2. Thumbnails. The ideas are then worked out in small detail before undertaking
the expense and intricacies of a larger, more complicated drawing. In the
thumbnails, the following ideas (from the “contemplation” stage, above), are
tested:
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a. Staging. What are the characters doing? Where are they located in the
scene? How can the opportunity of the scene be used to further
communicate the nature of the character?
b. Cutting and Continuity. This stage is where the animators determine
which scenes should be filmed as a close-up or as a long-shot, which
character will be featured the most heavily in the scene, and plan for
the opportunities to get depth and perspective to avoid the dreaded
flattening of poorly executed animation. The viewers are visually led
in the direction the animators want them to go by the continuity
determined in this phase.
3. Mechanics of Presentation. The scale and perspective of the scene is then
finalized. Characters are kept in focus by minimizing the background
elements.
4. Solve Special Drawing Problems. After the intricacies of steps 1-3 (above) are
determined, then all of the details and special problems in the drawing on the
thumbnails are worked out before transferring the scene onto the larger
format.
5. At this stage, collaboration is undertaken with the animation team to review
and double-check the decisions made.
6. The thumbnails are then enlarged to full size. When the drawings take on a
new dimension, they can change with respect to how they relate to one
another. Following the examination of these phenomena, the “juice” in the
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scenes is added with the other adjustments to the drawings. These are the
individual actions, timings, expressions, that will give life to the action of the
animation.
7. Once the mechanics of the animation are determined, then the drawings are
color-saturated, one of the hallmarks of the Disney Corporate approach.
The way that the musical score leads us through the animation was highly significant to Walt Disney and has remained a corporate hallmark known as “Mickey-
Mousing” (Capodagli, 1999). To Walt Disney, the use of music was a critical part of the animation. He realized that the audience felt a certain security when they knew what was going to happen, and could be lulled into this security with music. When surprise was the desired outcome, he was able to achieve this with an unexpected note – somewhere in the middle of the musical measure – someplace where it wasn‟t expected. In this way, the audience was led to expect one thing, frequently with the emphasis on the downbeat in the musical score, but then, in a totally unexpected place in the musical score, something unexpected would be written in to convey surprise, or the unusual, or the startling. We are led to experience the lives of the animated characters primarily by the use of the music. Sound effects were added as embellishments, the foundational experience of the animation was held together with the music (Thomas & Johnston, 1984).
The Disney Corporation is renowned for its expertise in the manipulation of the child‟s visual and auditory attention during the production of the film. An often-cited example of this mastery was an episode during the manufacture of Bambi. The animators were having difficulty with achieving a desired “terror level” during the fight between
44
Bambi‟s father and the other buck in the story. With a glance at the thumbnails, Walt
Disney purportedly suggested that the entire scene be drawn as if “back lit” with the bucks fighting on a craggy ledge of a mountain, and with their outlines in brilliantly lit silhouette (also known as “rim lighting”). The unexpected use of close ups, with gnashing teeth and flailing hooves, together with a brilliantly timed musical score, achieved the
“terror level” in the test audience that was desired. This example is used to demonstrate the genius in engaging children that Walt Disney brought to the medium (Maltin, 2000).
The net effect of this rim lighting, of course, is to draw the audience even closer into the scene – when the audience needs to strain to see, their imaginations fill in the gaps – as subliminally led by sound and music and color (Thomas & Johnston, 1984).
The part about animation that is particularly significant for young children is that animation lends itself to freedom from “…the restrictive dimension of physical laws and, with its symbolic personification of values and ideals, disarms resistance to fiction and fantasy, which merge easily within the medium” (Artz, 2005). In Disney animation, the audience is encouraged to relax and experience meticulously articulated entertainment created by a huge team of professional masters of story telling and illustration, set to compelling music. The success of the Disney animation is still owed to Walt Disney himself and the commitment he made to the perfection of the art form. This perfected showcase of fairy tale themes brought to life in animation has earned the Disney
Corporation a place of unprecedented trust in the American family, becoming America‟s most popular babysitter in the form of videos and DVDs (Schweizer & Schweizer, 1998).
45
The whole idea of the animated film is to suppress the categories of normal perception, and, ultimately, to allow for the “…abdication of all mental law about reality”
(Wells, 2002). This malleable nature of animation is best stated by The Genie character in
Disney‟s Aladdin: “I‟m history, no, I‟m mythology; I don‟t care what I am – I‟m free!”
The fidelity to the corporate protocols demonstrated repeatedly by the Disney animators in each story line found in Disney animated fairy tale media asserts the self- interest of the male characters, as well as the social hierarchy of a class system (the
Disney corporate formula). As strong and independent as the leading women may at first appear, ultimately, they rely upon the approval of the male characters to find their fulfillment in the story (Artz, 2005). Does this qualify as gender bias as set forth in the
Anti-Bias Curriculum promoted by the National Association for the Education of Young
Children?
It is also notable that, as these stories are based on fairy tales and myths, they have an eternal shelf life – these animations “…will likely thrill future audiences as their contemporaries” (Artz, 2005). For example, by sales ranking, Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs (1937) retains a second place market domination a full 70 years after its initial release date. So successful are the animated fairy tales, that following a softer year in movie releases, Disney is returning to its tried-and-true strategy of animating fairy tales with Rapunzel in production as of this writing (Walt Disney Corporation Annual Report,
2005).
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Professional Development
The disparity of the education levels of preprimary early education teachers is well documented in the landmark work, Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers
(Bowman, et al., 2000). Yet, the children in the care of these preprimary early education teachers are at their most vulnerable and critical period for cognitive, social, and emotional development. The cultural attitudes and ethnic identities of these children are formed for life during this preprimary education period. Preschoolers, through their experiences and activities (or lack thereof), are set on a learning trajectory, which precludes other possibilities. “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life” (Plato, trans. 2006).
The purpose of professional development is to expand the knowledge base, skills, and competencies of individuals employed in the field as preprimary early education teachers (Estes, 2004). The National Association for the Education of Young Children considers professional development to be an ethical imperative, naming continuing education and training as the first ideal under the ethical responsibilities to children section in the Code of Ethical Conduct (NAEYC, 2005). One of the core values identified by NAEYC in this document is the importance of support for children in the context of family, culture, community, and society. Good professional development experiences help preprimary early education teachers connect new learning with prior knowledge, ever mindful of how young children develop and learn. However, to be effective, the enterprise of new learning needs to be linked to prior knowledge that is free from bias
47 and preconception. “These preconceptions must be addressed in order [for them] to change their beliefs” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, pp. 10-11).
Preprimary early educators are often left to their own discretion when selecting media for use with this vulnerable population. The influence of media is powerful in our society and that influence can easily translate to curriculum decisions among preprimary early childhood teachers. Strong professional development models are needed to illuminate these influences in the contextual frame of early childhood development and best practices. Although the workshop model is the most criticized in the literature, the structure of the professional development certification in the State of Florida supports specific topics conducted for specific periods of time. The “workshop” may take the form of a “lecture” or “class.” Given these parameters, then, one of the most effective models involves collective participation of teachers from the same grade (age level), school, or discipline. Teachers then, having the benefit of collaboration during the professional development module, have enhanced opportunity to integrate what has been learned into their daily practice (Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001).
Content plays an emerging role in quality professional development modules
(Kennedy, 1998), to augment particular curricular approaches in preprimary education and care. The content areas in the State of Florida primarily target leadership concerns, classroom management techniques, environment, health and safety standards, and social issues (Florida, Department of Children and Families, 2009c). However, there appears to be a disconnect between the growing emphasis on performance standards by domain, and the curricular techniques and materials used to achieve these benchmarks. This
48 disconnect has been addressed by a local initiative led by the Institute of Excellence in
Early Care and Education at Palm Beach Community College. This “Core Competencies” initiative was developed by community partners in order to “…provide guidelines for education and training programs in meeting the needs of practitioners in the field” (Palm
Beach Community College, 2006, p. 1). Core Competency Four, Teaching and Learning, addresses content knowledge in early education (Palm Beach Community College, 2006, p. 19). Professional development can be a powerful vehicle for generating new perspectives, skills, and knowledge, which very often influence new attitudes and beliefs.
Preprimary teachers must also enjoy the benefit of learning opportunities designed to prepare and support them as they engage in their expanded view of developmentally appropriate practices with young children (Sparks & Loucks-Horsley, 1989).
To best utilize a collective participation model of teachers from the same discipline that is focused on content, the literature suggests that interactive professional development models are most effective. Scanlon, Gallego, Duran, and Reyes (2005) observed that “…[data]… indicate that the interactive nature of the staff development assisted the teachers to adapt the featured instructional practices in ways that both mirrored and challenged their personal beliefs and knowledge about teaching and learning” (p. 40).
From these offerings, then, a professional development module, focused on research-based evidence of how children learn, together with best practices in early childhood education and care, might best be served when combined with an interactive component (such as a focus group) where ideas can be generated and new knowledge
49 acquired to maximize the potential for change in perspective. This study has been designed to address these issues, and in Chapter 3, the methods relating to this study will be discussed.
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CHAPTER 3
Methods
The purpose of this study was to investigate the responses of preprimary early childhood teachers prior to and after the experience of a professional development module focused on research-based evidence of the cultural and gender bias found in
Disney animated fairy tales and to determine if participation in this professional development module would change those teachers‟ intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children.
This chapter describes the methodology that was used in conducting the study.
This section will be divided into five parts: (1) research design, (2) participants,
(3) professional development module, (4) instrumentation and data collection procedures, and (5) data analysis.
Research Design
This study employed a multi-method, quasi-experimental design in order to investigate the responses of preprimary early childhood education teachers prior to and after their participation in a professional development module focused on research-based evidence of the cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales. The objective was to determine (1) if their intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media changed, and (2) if their intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media did change,
51 would this impact their actual choice to use Disney animated fairy tale media in preprimary early childhood classrooms? Further, discrepancies were noted between the pre- and post-Likert-scaled survey results and the transcripts of the focus group interviews. Additionally, participants were polled via e-mail six weeks following their participation in this professional development module to determine if this experience actually impacted their choice of media for use in their early childhood classrooms.
Goodwin and Goodwin (1996) note that qualitative research is an appropriate method when the purpose of the study is to describe participants‟ intentions in order to interpret and draw conclusions from data. Borg and Gall (1996) recommend using a qualitative research design when the purpose is to identify patterns or constructs. Further,
Morgan (1997) recommends using focus groups as qualitative social science research to provide a supplemental data source to augment multi-method analyses for increased validity. In this multi-method study, focus groups informed the study of the influence of this particular professional development module in influencing the intentions of preprimary early childhood teachers to use Disney animated fairy tale media.
Research Sites
This study took place at a university in southeastern Florida. This location was chosen as a research site out of convenience for the researcher. Further, this university offers appropriate settings with access to the audio-visual equipment needed to facilitate this research. In addition, the location of the campus provided convenience for the participants selected for this study. Palm Beach County is physically the largest county in the State of Florida with a population of 1,266,451 (see Table 1). Of this number, over
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76,000 children are under five years of age (Palm Beach County Department of Building and Zoning, 2008), and over 20,000 children are enrolled in preschool in a multitude of service delivery options (Palm Beach County Health Department, 2005) (see Table 3).
Using the highest legally allowed ratio of 1:20 for four year olds, this equates to a minimum of 1,000 preprimary early childhood education teachers (for all age groups) employed in Palm Beach County (Florida Department of Children and Families, 2009b).
Research Questions
1. How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional
development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and
gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?
2. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟
intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early
childhood children?
3. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟
actual media choice for use in preprimary early childhood classrooms?
Participants
Following the approval of the research design by the Institutional Review Board at Florida Atlantic University, the researcher, who is an approved trainer in the local
Palm Beach County Training Registry, obtained approval to officially award professional development credit of four hours for the professional development module used in this study (Appendix A). Once this approval was obtained, a letter (Appendix B) was mailed to the directors of selected early childhood centers in Palm Beach County, in order to
53 invite the preprimary early childhood education teachers employed in these centers to this professional development module and doctoral research session. In exchange for their participation, these preprimary early childhood education teachers were assured of an award certificate for four of the ten in-service professional development hours required by the State of Florida for all preprimary early childhood teachers annually. This requirement is established by Florida Statute #402.305(2)(d)(4) (Online Sunshine, 2008), which states:
On an annual basis in order to further their child care skills and, if
appropriate, administrative skills, child care personnel who have fulfilled
the requirements for the child care training shall be required to take an
additional 1 continuing education unit of approved in-service training, or
10 clock hours of equivalent training, as determined by the department
(p.1).
Further, this training was offered free of charge. The criteria for the selection of the centers who received the invitation included representatives from private non-profit, for-profit, and/or corporate franchise centers, faith-based centers, school district sites,
Head Start centers, university research centers, and family home care sites as described in
Table 4 (Florida Department of Children and Families, 2009b). To achieve population representation within this homogenous sample, a purposeful sampling technique was employed (Pedhazur & Schmelkin, 1991). In other words, centers were purposefully selected proportionately from the total number of licensed facilities in a local county by the type of child care facility (private non-profit, for-profit and/or corporate franchise
54 centers, faith-based centers, school district sites, Head Start centers, university research centers, and family home care sites). It was desirable to include the various types of preprimary early childhood education establishments in order to embrace representation of the range of types of provision of care available to children and their families in this local county. Initially, the directors of 60 childcare centers were contacted according to the percentage distribution indicated in Table 4. First, the name of each of these child care centers was typed onto identical entry cards and divided by type of facility. The proportional number of centers (according to their type of provision), was randomly selected from a total grouping. For example, the names of the 289 private, for-profit, non- profit, and corporate franchises were entered onto individual cards, and then 22 (the proportional share of 60 centers) were randomly drawn and assigned a code number
(Czaja & Blair, 2005). This procedure was repeated six times according to the type of center defined in Table 4.
Table 4
A Southeast Florida County’s Child Care Centers by Type Type Of Childcare Facilities In County Number %
Private for-profit, non-profit, and corporate franchises 289 36.7
Faith-based centers 127 16.1
School district sites (10 ECCI and 14 VPK sites) 24 3.1
Head Start centers 11 1.4
University research sites 1 0.1
Family child care homes 335 42.6
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Total number of child care facilities 787 100.0
The training was provided to all who responded to the invitation. For the purposes of this study, three sessions were offered in two locations; however, respondents preferred only one location. Group size was limited to the available room capacity per session (no fewer than 20 per group). Gorsuch (1974) recommended using a number of participants equal to a minimum of five times the total number of survey items to ensure a sufficient base from which to evaluate the pre-and post professional development module Likert-scaled surveys. The invited base of a minimum of 60 participants was in keeping with this recommendation, with an allowance for absentees. Qualitative research methods may include focus groups of participants that may be selected purposefully
(Morgan, 1997). In the invitation letter to the directors, volunteers were solicited for each group to participate in the smaller focus group following the professional development module. Each focus group was limited to 10 participants. The rationale for this number is as follows: Morgan (1997) observes that focus group research typically engages three to five groups, with the claim that “. . .more groups rarely result in meaningful new insights” (p. 43). Regarding group size, Morgan (1997) recommends using six to ten individuals. “Fewer than six participants may pose difficulties in sustaining the group discussion; more than ten might prove to be difficult to manage” (Morgan, 1997, p. 43).
Thus, this study sought to use three focus groups of ten participants each. In this way, the research design provided the recommended number of participants.
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Study Procedure
The study procedure was in the format of three separate four-part professional development modules, pre- and post- professional development module Likert-scaled surveys, focus group interviews, and follow-up e-mails. Each section of the study procedure will be described in detail in the remainder of this section.
Professional Development Module
The professional development module consisted of four components: three
PowerPoint lectures and a film in a single session. As the participants were all employed in child care centers, one of the trainings was held on a weeknight between 6:00 p.m. and
10:00 p.m., and two of the trainings were held during the weekend from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., as is customary for professional development training for early childhood educators.
Each group received three identical, power point lectures by the researcher. The content summary and PowerPoint slides for these lectures can be found in Appendix I.
Each lecture was fifteen minutes in duration. Five minutes were allotted for questions and answers following each component.
The first lecture elaborated on children‟s development from a Piagetian
perspective, (preoperational stage), with a special emphasis on the significance of
socialization in the preprimary years.
The second lecture focused on anti-bias curriculum standards and evidence of
gender and cultural bias found in children‟s products. This information was taken
directly from the ABC Task Force‟s guide, “Anti Bias Curriculum in Early
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Childhood Programs” as published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The third lecture discussed how to identify fairy tale media as distinct from folk tales or other fantasy stories and gave a brief historical perspective of Disney animated fairy tales.
The last component to this professional development module was the viewing of the DVD, Mickey Mouse Monopoly by the Media Education Foundation. The
Media Education Foundation (MEF) was founded in 1991 by Sut Jhally, a
University of Massachusetts professor and media scholar. Since that time, it has grown to become “the nation‟s leading producer and distributor of educational videos designed to inspire students and others to reflect critically on the structure of the media industry and the content it produces” (Media Education Foundation,
2006). At the National Association for the Education of Young Children annual conference in 2005, international media expert Diane E. Levin, Ph.D., a professor of child development at Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts, recommended the use of MEF‟s film, Mickey Mouse Monopoly, as an ideal training video for the influences of gender and cultural bias in Disney animations
(Levin, 2005). The handout Dr. Levin used in her 2005 NAEYC presentation,
“ACTION STEPS,” will be distributed to participants at the conclusion of the session, and is included as Appendix J. Dr. Levin also lends her endorsement of
Mickey Mouse Monopoly within the film itself.
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Schedule
The schedule for the first professional development module is detailed below. The second and third professional development modules were held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and followed the same format as the training held from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. In other words, the morning session followed the same schedule as presented above. For example, the training began with the welcome, introductions, distribution and collection of the consent form, the demographic survey, and the two Likert-scaled surveys taking place between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in the morning session, with the balance of the schedule delivered in the same appropriate time modules as presented above.
6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Welcome, introductions, distribution and collection of the consent form, the demographic survey, and the two Likert-scaled surveys 6:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Lecture One
6:45 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. Q&A
6:50 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. Lecture Two
7:05 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. Q&A
7:10 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Lecture Three
7:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Break
7:30 p.m. to 8:22 p.m. Viewing of Mickey Mouse Monopoly DVD
8:22 p.m. to 8:42 p.m. Distribution and collection of two post-module Likert-scaled surveys 8:42 p.m. to9:00 p.m. Break
9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Focus Group Interview
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10:00 p.m. Award of In-Service Certificates and Distribution of Action Steps as Promoted by Dr. Levin at NAEYC 2005 and Dismissal
Pilot Study
A pilot study was conducted with eight preprimary early childhood teachers known to the researcher. The purpose of this pilot study was to field-test the Likert-scaled surveys that were used with all participants in the professional development module and the focus group interview guide that was used with the focus group subsets (Czaja &
Blair, 2005). Additionally, the PowerPoint lectures and the professional development module itself were field tested with this pilot group. Participants were asked for their input regarding the professional development module and the instruments, and their responses were recorded (Appendix L).
Instrumentation and Data Collection Procedures
Pre- and Post-Professional Development Module Likert-Scaled Surveys
Upon arrival for each professional development module, consent forms were distributed and collected from each participant in accordance with the regulations required by the Institutional Review Board. Participants were then being asked to complete a demographics survey (Appendix C), and two Likert-scaled surveys
(Appendixes D and E) regarding the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with preschool children.
Following the professional development module, the participants were asked to complete two additional Likert-scaled surveys (Appendixes F and G) regarding the use of
Disney animated fairy tale media with preschool children and if the intentions of these
60 preprimary early childhood education teachers had changed as a result of the professional development module. Appendix D and Appendix F are identical Likert-scaled surveys and were used in order to facilitate the description of any immediate change in intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children prior to the experience of the focus group interview (in answer to research question #2, if participation in this professional development module would influence teachers‟ intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children). In addition, the second pre-professional development module Likert-scaled survey (Appendix E) contained questions that also sought to locate the participant with respect to any intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media. In the second post- professional development module Likert-scaled survey (Appendix G), the questions addressed the efficacy of the professional development module itself with respect to any change in intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media in preprimary early childhood classrooms, again addressing research question #2 as above.
Focus Group Interviews
Following the completion of the post-professional development module surveys, ten pre-selected participants were engaged in a focus group, using an interview guide
(Appendix H) to further explore “…what the participants found to be important (rather than what participants found to be interesting). This is the principle challenge of focus group research and is a critical distinction in data analysis” (Morgan, 1997, p. 62). This focus group operationally functioned as a discussion panel, with the remainder of the participants forming an audience to the process. The focus group sought to explore how
61 preprimary early childhood teachers responded to this professional development module
(research question #1). In addition, the focus group interview sought to determine (1) if the participants‟ intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children changed; and (2) if their intentions did change, specifically how did they change (research question #2). Further, discrepancies, if any, were noted between the survey results and the transcripts of the focus group interviews. Participation in the focus group had no bearing on the award of the professional development module four- hour certificate at the conclusion of the workshop. Both participants and non-participants were awarded four-hour certificates of completion. All of the participants of the professional development module signed a consent form and were advised that the focus group session would be audiotaped. All of the participants were assured of the confidentiality of the discussions of the focus group.
The researcher asked semi-structured open-ended questions in such a way as to maintain an informal atmosphere where the participants felt free to share their honest reflections about the topics. The following topics were addressed in the focus group:
(1) each of the three lectures from the professional development module (on Piaget, anti- bias curriculum, and the definition of fairy tale animated media); (2) the video, Mickey
Mouse Monopoly, and if the lectures and the film were related and in what ways; (3) whether the attitudes of the participants had changed as a result of this professional development module; and (4) the relative value of presenting this information to parents.
The focus group sessions began with an opening general question to get the participants started and feeling comfortable with the process and were followed by
62 probing questions about each of the three lectures and the video. The focus group concluded with the distribution of a document developed and used by Dr. Diane Levin at the 2005 National Association for the Education of Young Children annual conference in
Washington, D.C., “Mickey Mouse Action Steps,” in order to provide concrete ideas of what could be done to promote the ideas found in the film pertaining to racial and cultural bias and gender stereotyping. Following the focus group session, the four-hour certificates of completion and workshop evaluations were distributed and collected and the group was dismissed. The complete focus group interview guide is found in Appendix
H; however, a summary of the questions that were used to elicit preprimary early childhood teacher‟s feelings, attitudes, and behaviors during the focus group interviews is shown in Table 5.
Focus Group Analysis
Following the transcription of the three focus group sessions, the transcripts were coded to distinguish between “…what participants find interesting and what they find important” (Morgan, 1997, p. 62). The three transcripts of the three focus group sessions were read through to find patterns of what was found to be important and compare comments of the participants from all three sessions. Themes and strands were identified in each of the three transcripts and a coding scheme of broad categories was developed by the researcher. The transcripts were read for a second time, and quotes to support these themes and strands were highlighted. A process of constantly comparing and analyzing the coding among each of the three focus groups assisted in validating that the categories identified were the appropriate ones. The coding scheme was refined following
63 this second reading. A third reading was conducted to investigate whether any potential streams were missed or ignored. When no other coding categories were found, the researcher proceeded to address the research questions inherent in the study.
Follow-Up E-mails
Six weeks following their involvement with the professional development module, all of the participants were contacted via e-mail to answer research question #3, whether or not the professional development module actually affected their choice to use
Disney animated fairy tale media in preprimary early childhood classrooms
(Appendix K).
Table 5
Summary of Questions Asked of Preprimary Early Childhood Teachers During Focus Group Interviews* 1. Early childhood development according to Jean Piaget a. What makes sense to you about Piaget‟s ideas? b. What have you observed to support his ideas in your classrooms? c. What do you see in children every day? 2. Anti-bias curriculum (culture and gender) a. Do you think that the content of children‟s media can influence their socialization and development? b. Do you think that the content of media influences preprimary early childhood aged children for life, or does its influence wear off, as the child grows older? 3. Fairy tale media a. Do you think that fairy tales are fun for preprimary early childhood aged children? b. If so, why? If not, why not? What about folk tales? 4. Mickey Mouse Monopoly a. What did you think of the content of this movie? b. What did you agree with? What did you disagree with? c. Why does Disney arouse such passionate reactions, both pro and con, in people? d. Have you ever realized that African Americans were not represented in Disney animations before? e. Do you think that this holds any significance for very young children?
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5. Impact a. Have your intention to use Disney media changed as a result of this session? b. Would you share this information with parents? Why or why not? c. Should this module be taught in schools? If so, what age or grade? * The complete interview guide is found in Appendix H.
Data Analysis
The completed Likert-scaled surveys were analyzed and presented as descriptive statistics. The responses to the Likert-scaled surveys from all three of the groups were collapsed into one data set, and then compared and contrasted in a series of dependent t- tests to investigate the first research question, “How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?”
The main data source of this study was the transcripts from the focus group interviews. These focus group interviews were tape recorded and analyzed for themes and patterns.
As guided by the focus group interview transcripts, the researcher identified elements or categories that the participants reported as being important, as distinguished from what the participants found to be interesting or provocative. In addition, the researcher isolated elements or categories in the transcripts, which supported a change in the preprimary early childhood teachers‟ intentions regarding the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with children aged three to five. Other analyses included emergent categories from the transcripts. The researcher sought to extract themes and patterns that emerged from this process. From these themes and patterns several findings materialized and are discussed in depth in Chapter 4.
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CHAPTER 4
Results
Introduction
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a professional development module focused on research-based evidence of the cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales on classroom choices made by preprimary early childhood teachers employed in a county in southeastern Florida. In this chapter, the findings of the data collected during three professional development modules conducted in January and February of 2008 in this county are presented. The final data are discussed within the context of the research questions central to this study:
1. How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional
development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender
bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?
2. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟
intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early
childhood children?
3. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟
actual media choice for use in preprimary early childhood classrooms?
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As this study employs a mixed-method, quasi-experimental design, both quantitative analyses of the four pre- and post- professional development module surveys are presented as well as the qualitative analysis of the focus group transcripts generated at the conclusion of the presentation of each of the professional development modules. In addition, the results of the six-week follow-up questionnaire regarding actual practice are reported. All of the instruments used in this study were pilot tested with a group of 12 preprimary professionals on July 28, 2007.
Participant Demographics as Self-Reported on the Demographic Instrument
The 52 participants were all employed in preprimary early childhood centers found in a county in southeastern Florida. They consisted of 51 females and one male.
The participants served the full age range of preprimary children aged birth through five.
Three of the participants worked with infants, five worked with the 1-2 age group, eleven worked with the 2-3 age group, ten worked with the 3-4 age group, twelve worked with the 4-5 age group and one worked with children aged five plus. There were six participants who worked with all age groups as permanent substitutes, and four directors participated as well (one of the directors also worked as a lead teacher in the 4-5 year old group). Of the participants, fifteen were employed in faith-based early childhood centers; eleven were employed in for-profit centers; eighteen were employed in non-profit centers; six were employed in a higher education research center; and one was employed in a Head Start Center. The demographic profiles of the participants are illustrated in
Table 6.
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Table 6
Participant Demographics: Percent Represented by Age Group, Educational Level, and Ethnicity Age Percent Educational Percent Ethnicity Percent Group Represented Level Represented Represented 18-29 15% Entry 4% Caucasian 68%
30-39 29% 45 Hour 14% African 19% Training American
40-49 27% CDAE 25% Asian 8% (ECPC) 50-59 15% National 10% Native 2% CDA American
60 + 12% Associate‟s 12% Sub 2% Degree Continent
Bachelor‟s 17% Degree in ECE
Bachelor‟s 6% Degree in Education
Bachelor‟s 8% Degree – Other
Graduate 4% Degree
Prior to the start of the professional development module, the participants also completed two surveys. One survey sought to locate the participants with respect to their current attitude regarding the use of Disney animated fairy tale media. Of the 52 respondents, 41% reported using Disney animated media with the children entrusted to 68 their care, while 59% reported that they did not use this type of media. However, the majority of the preprimary early childhood teachers acknowledged that the children did own Disney materials, with only two of the 52 participants reporting less than 10% of the children owned these materials and brought them to child care centers.
The majority (65.4%) of the participants self-reported as fans, or enthusiasts, of
Disney animated media. Only eight of the 52 participants indicated that they were not fans, with the balance reporting neutrality to this issue. An even higher percentage
(69.3%) reported that Disney positively influenced their own childhoods. Similarly, a majority (61.6%) of the participants indicated that they were older than five years of age when they first encountered Disney animated media.
Each of the identical, four-hour professional development modules consisted of four distinct parts: three lectures and a film. The lectures included information about the developmental level of preprimary aged children according to Piaget; about bias found in print and other media; and about the nature of fairy and folk tales. The participants then viewed a 52-minute film, Mickey Mouse Monopoly (Sun & Picker, 2001). The data were collected from the participants in the form of a self-reporting demographic questionnaire, two pre-professional development Likert-scaled surveys, and two post-professional development surveys (one survey was identical and was administered as the first survey in both the pre- and post- professional development module session). At least thirty of the participants participated in an hour-long focus group at the conclusion of the professional development module, led by the same researcher using the same scripted questions.
Finally, the group was queried after six weeks as to whether or not their actual practice
69 had been affected by the professional development module in their practice with the children entrusted to their care.
Ethnicity Data of Participants as Reported on the Demographic Instrument
The ethnic demographics of the participants were self-identified as follows:
19% African American; 8% Asian; 35% Caucasian; 35% Hispanic; 1.5% Native
American; and 1.5% Other. The ethnic demographics of the participants per professional development module are shown in Table 7.
Table 7
Ethnicity of Participants by Professional Development Module Session Ethnicity Session One Session Two Session Three Totals
African 4 3 3 10
American
Asian 2 1 1 4
Caucasian 3 7 8 18
Hispanic 2 6 10 18
Native American 0 1 0 1
Other 1* 0 0 1
* Reported absence of category “Sub-Continent”
Ages of Participants as Reported on the Demographic Instrument
The ages of the participants were self-identified as follows: 16% aged 18-29; 29% aged 30-39; 27% aged 40-49; 16% aged 50-59; and 12% aged 60 plus. The ages of the participants per professional development module are shown below in Table 8.
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Table 8
Age of Participant by Professional Development Module Session
Age Session One Session Two Session Three Totals 18-29 1 4 3 8
30-39 1 8 6 15
40-49 8 2 4 14
50-59 1 3 5 8
60+ 1 1 4 6
Educational Level of Participants as Reported on the Demographic Instrument
The educational levels of the participants were self-identified as follows: 4%
Entry Level; 14% with the 45 hour training; 25% CDAE; 10% National CDA; 12%
Associates Degree; 17% Bachelor‟s Degree in Early Childhood; 6% Bachelor‟s Degree in Education; 8% Bachelor‟s Degree in “Other,” and 2% Graduate Degree. The educational levels of the participants per professional development module are shown in
Table 9.
Data Related to Media Use as Reported on the Demographic Instrument
Of 52 participants, 41% reported using Disney animated media with the children entrusted to their care, and 59% reported that they did not use this media. When asked to estimate the percentage of children entrusted to their care who owned Disney merchandise (i.e., lunchboxes, clothing, shoes, backpacks, glasses, pens/pencils, etc.), two reported less than 10%; two reported 25%; five reported 50%; seven reported 75%; twenty-two reported 90%, and fourteen reported 100%.
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Table 9
Educational Level of Participants by Professional Development Module Session Educational Level Session One Session Two Session Three Totals
Entry Level 0 1 1 2
45 Hr. Training 0 4 3 7
CDAE 5 2 6 13
National CDA 2 1 2 5
Associate‟s Degree 2 2 2 6
Bachelor‟s Degree in 2 2 5 9 Early Childhood
Bachelor‟s Degree- 0 2 1 3 Education
Bachelor‟s Degree – 0 3 1 4 Other
Graduate Degree 1 1 0 2
Data Related to Disney Media Use as Reported in Pre-Professional Development Module Survey #2
Participants were also queried about the use of Disney animated media in their preprimary classroom in the pre-professional development module Likert-scaled survey
#2. Seventeen participants (32.7%) reported that they used Disney animated media in the preprimary classroom, and 28 (53.8%) reported that they did not use Disney animated
72 media in their preprimary classroom. Seven participants (13.5%) were neutral with respect to this question.
Table 10
Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #1 of Survey #2 Item #1 Frequency %
Valid
Strongly agree 3 5.8
Agree 14 26.9
Neither agree nor disagree 7 13.5
Disagree 14 26.9
Strongly disagree 14 26.9
Total 52 100.0
Data Related to Other Media Use as Reported in Pre-Professional Development Module Survey #2
Twenty-one participants (40.4%) reported an interest in using non-Disney animated media in their preprimary aged classrooms. Fifteen (28.9%) were not interested in using non-Disney animated media and sixteen (30.8%) were neutral.
Data Related to Personal Experience of Disney Animated Media as Reported in Pre- Professional Development Module Survey #2
Three items were presented in the pre-professional development module survey
#2 related to the personal experience of the participants with Disney animated media. The first item determined if the participants considered themselves fans of Disney animated media. Thirty-four (65.4%) affirmed that they were fans. Eight (15.3%) indicated that
73 they were not fans of Disney animated media, and ten (19.2%) were neutral. The next item queried the participants if they felt that Disney positively influenced their own childhoods. Thirty-six (69.3%) affirmed that Disney positively influenced their own childhoods, eleven (21.2%) disagreed with this item, and five (9.6%) were neutral. The last item polled the participants with respect to their own age when first encountering
Disney animated media. Thirty-two (61.6%) reported that they were five years of age or older, eight (15.4%) reported that they were younger than five years old, and seven
(13.5%) were neutral with respect to this item.
Table 11
Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #2 of Survey #2 Item #2 Frequency %
Valid
Strongly agree 5 9.6
Agree 16 30.8
Neither agree nor disagree 16 30.8
Disagree 12 23.1
Strongly disagree 3 5.8
Total 52 100.0
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Table 12 Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #3, Item #4, and Item #5 of Survey #2 Frequency %
Valid Item #3 Item #4 Item #5 Item #3 Item #4 Item #5
Strongly agree 14 11 3 26.9 21.2 5.8
Agree 20 25 29 38.5 48.1 55.8
Neither agree nor disagree 10 5 12 19.2 9.6 23.1
Disagree 2 8 7 3.8 15.4 13.5
Strongly disagree 6 3 1 11.5 5.8 1.9
Total 52 100.0
Findings Related to Research Questions
Research question #1: How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?
The researcher identified three findings in answer to research question #1, “How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?” These findings emerged, and were supported by, the transcripts of all three focus groups interviews.
Finding A: Surprised discovery of overt bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media
The participants expressed strong surprise, shock, and acceptance of the overt bias 75 found in Disney animated fairy tale media that had not been perceived prior to this professional development module. This finding was supported by comments alluding to a new awareness that was illuminated by the professional development module, such as:
It is amazing to find out how extreme it really is and yet I have never seen it
before! I‟m very surprised to see what they are doing!
This element of “surprise” that manifested throughout the transcripts of all three focus group sessions was defined by the researcher as confusion, dismay, and revelation to see the familiar Disney media portrayed in a new way. The following are several examples of the confusion and dismay that was found supporting this finding by the participants:
Why did they portray black people as a crow, or a gorilla, or any kind of animal?
Why? It hurts. Why portray us as animals? Do you know what I‟m saying?
Because that is kind of racist. What are you trying to say? That really – you know
– made me realize. That‟s true. Now that I think about it, that‟s true. We are
animals in these movies. You do see that. Before that, I was just interested in the
movie and I didn‟t see it. Why did they do that? Because they like our accents?
Why? I mean, there is no good reason.
I‟m really confused. Why? Why do they do this? I mean, this really opened my
eyes. Why? I mean, I never thought…and now I find out for the first time in
years…it is a discovery of how negative it all is …and the impact it can have on
all of us…not only on the children but on us, the adults, too.
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I guess after the film, I realized that things that appeared innocent to me before
are not so innocent or what have you. This is nothing new, either. Actually, I
wonder if we were affected too.
Supporting the finding of “surprise and acceptance of the overt bias in Disney animated fairy tale media,” participants also identified elements of “subject matter,” defined by the researcher as an awareness, content knowledge, or understanding of new information or theory and how this understanding might impact their professional and personal practice with young children. Cited examples of new knowledge included the following:
The real problem is in the sounds. That is what I think. The sounds are worse than
the pictures. We aren‟t even listening and yet we are. The lyrics are imprinting on
our brains – on all of our brains – the adults and the children.
We have to really, really, really pay attention to see what to look for because like
you know, I was just focusing on the story and I‟m a black person. I just didn‟t
hear it! I didn‟t realize. And I gave this to my children, too. I never realized that
there were no black people in the movies, either. I never thought about it.
Well, it isn‟t just the racist stuff – I mean, there are no women in this room who
look like the heroines in these movies. Even Tinkerbell was concerned about her
backside! I mean, when you see a woman, a female, in a cartoon, she looks
gorgeous. That isn‟t reality. We don‟t all look like that – not all of us have the
hourglass shape, some of us have, well, I‟m saying that some of us are rounder!
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Finding B: Support for the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children
The use of Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children is defensible on several counts:
Disney animated fairy tale media is not real and is merely entertainment;
Disney animated fairy tale media supports what is found in “real life;”
The impact of any bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media doesn‟t stay
with children over time.
Participants who supported the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary aged children entrusted to their care commented that “these are just movies” and “they are just for entertainment” throughout all three transcripts.
The two considerations above of “not real” and “is reality,” although opposite views, both support the finding that the use of Disney animated fairy tale media is appropriate with preprimary children. An example which supports the consideration that
Disney animated fairy tale media is not real and merely entertainment was:
Listen, I‟m Latin, and I always knew about the Chihuahuas and how they made us
into these dogs. But I said, like, hey, that isn‟t real, and I just shrugged it off. I
knew we weren‟t dogs. So, we knew these things aren‟t real anyway.
The notion that Disney animated fairy tale media supported reality and was a worthy teaching tool was best expressed by the following observation:
Well, these are things that are happening in real life. If we didn‟t have the movie,
then, when they went out into real life and encountered the bias, they‟d be like 78
“Oh my God, look at this!” when all along, if they had watched the movies,
they‟d know that bias was out there.
Other observations supporting the temporary nature of the influence of Disney animated fairy tale media on children were expressed throughout all three focus groups with comments such as:
I think that the influence wears off over time. I don‟t think that they absorb as
much as we are saying they are right now.
But you know, this is a wonderful thing, Disney is! The kids love it! I think we
are reading too much into it. They don‟t see these things, I‟m sure of it.
Finding C: Pronounced personalization of the professional development module in the personal lives of the participants as parents, as well as reflection on their own experiences as a child
Participants personalized their experience and reflected on their personal media selection and choices in their role as parents with their own children. For some, the
“magic” found in Disney animated fairy tale media is considered to be desirable to be shared with children, especially daughters. For others, the new awareness fostered by the professional development module prompted concerns about the media choices made in the past by these participant-parents. Examples of these comments are:
I let my children watch Disney all of the time. The Disney channel is on at my
house all of the time.
The whole magic of Disney: we want this for our daughters! I don‟t know why
the magic of Disney is so powerful – but it reaches everybody, almost.
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My children grew up on Disney – we even went to Disney World every year. But
as I sat here today, I don‟t know what to think. It really opened my eyes to the
bias – to the cultures they were making fun of. I never thought of how they made
fun of the Indians, too – how many times have I said “sit like an Indian” – and I
never meant to make fun of another culture! I don‟t want to have that near me
now!
Well the thing is, I would never show my 4 year old daughter a movie – like an
adult story – where a woman was being abused and her accepting it, like in
Beauty and the Beast. So why would I select a Disney movie to show to her with
these violent themes?
Research question #2: Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers’ intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children?
The researcher identified two findings in answer to research question #2, “Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟ intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children?” These findings were supported by the transcripts of all three focus group sessions.
Finding A: Resolution to change their practice with respect to media choice
Many of the participants expressed resolve to change their attitudes toward
Disney animated fairy tale media as a result of the new information that they had learned in the professional development module. Participants reported the intention to change their practices of using Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary aged children,
80 both in the centers and at home. However, the change intended ranged from the discontinuation of the use of Disney animated fairy tale media to strategies to introduce media literacy to children so that they could still participate in this uniquely American tradition without experiencing the “adverse” effects of the exposure to the bias found in the media. Examples of comments that supported these changes are:
We can take an extra step and take a book or a magazine and show other areas
of the cultures that are being poorly portrayed in Disney movies and make
them more. You could further their mind and go further into the culture or
whatever. I mean you should do more to round out their exposure to the
cultures to the reality of what is really there.
[This is] something I can guard against on my watch. I will not show Disney
movies on my watch. What the parents do – well, that is another story.
In addition, the self-identification of intent to avoid this media as evidenced other comments and requests for supports in negating the influence that Disney animated fairy tale media might have on the preprimary aged children entrusted to their care were expressed.
Isn‟t there some way to tell them, „this is for entertainment only‟ and „you can
do what you want to do, you don‟t have to act a certain way to be a boy or a
girl?‟ I think that as responsible teachers, we should do this. For education, we
should do this. But, we need the parents, too.
These are powerful messages and they are to be shared with parents,
definitely! How are we ever going to turn the page? We have to educate them.
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We have to do it. We have to do it in the name of their children, I think. Who
else will do it? Disney?
Now we can see how they can manipulate things – and one thing I learned
today is that we can‟t get comfortable – we have to pay attention to what we
are doing with these movies and books and what we give to the kids. It isn‟t
right. We shouldn‟t be part of what they are trying to do. I mean the majority
of us are minorities – now that we see what is going on, we should really take
a stand. It is important.
Finding B: Participants did not intend to change their practice with respect to media choice.
Participants did not intend to change their practices of using Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary aged children. Although fewer participants actually articulated statements that substantiated this finding as elsewhere in the study, there was resounding affirmation of statements articulated by others from certain members of the group. This emphasized affirmation led the researcher to include this finding. The statement which best expressed this finding was:
What if we see what you are saying, and even agree with the movie, but we
don‟t want to change? That we will still want to play these movies for
preschoolers?
Survey Analysis
To further analyze the first two research questions, quantitative analyses of the surveys were performed. The two questions were:
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1. How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional
development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and
gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?
2. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟
intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early
childhood children?
Survey #1 and Survey #3 are identical five-question, Likert-scaled surveys.
Survey #1 was administered pre-professional development module and Survey #3 was administered post-professional development module. The purpose of these surveys was to measure the immediate impact of the professional development module on the attitudes of preprimary early childhood education and care teachers with respect to the use of
Disney animated fairy tale media with the children in their care. As these surveys were distributed and collected prior to the focus groups, the data provided an immediate response on an individual basis. In comparing the frequency tables of both Survey #1 and
Survey #3, it is important to review the results of each scale, because a change from
“Strongly Agree” and “Agree” to “Disagree” and “Strongly Disagree” could measure a significant change of attitude. In this particular data set, the frequencies do change from item to item, which implies that the experience of the professional development module did influence these individuals‟ attitudes with respect to the issues raised in each item.
The frequencies for the answers from both Survey #1 and Survey #3 are found below.
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Table 13
Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #1 of Survey #1 and Survey #3 Item #1 Frequency % Survey #1 Survey #3 Survey #1 Survey #3 Valid 5 5 9.6 9.6 Strongly agree
Agree 24 12 46.2 23.1
Neither agree nor disagree 10 4 19.2 7.7
Disagree 9 22 17.3 42.3
Strongly disagree 4 9 7.7 17.3
Total 52 100
The frequencies found for this line item imply that the participants who changed their response may have recognized that the imaginations of the children might be developed, but according to a prescribed, corporate intention, together with the subliminal gender and cultural biases.
Table 14
Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #2 of Survey #1 and Survey #3 Item #2 Frequency %
Survey #1 Survey #3 Survey #1 Survey #3
Valid
Strongly agree 3 5 5.8 9.6
Agree 10 8 19.2 15.4
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Neither agree nor disagree 11 7 21.2 13.5
Disagree 16 21 30.8 40.4
Strongly disagree 11 11 21.2 21.2
Missing system 1 0 1.9 0
Total 52 100
This time, the shift in the frequencies of the answers supports the idea presented in the training that children acquire socialization skills in the preoperative stage of development. This line item shows clear movement of some of the participants toward affirming that cultural cues are also acquired through media.
Table 15
Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #3 of Survey #1 and Survey #3 Item #3 Frequency %
Survey #1 Survey #3 Survey #1 Survey #3
Valid
Strongly agree 2 3 3.8 5.8
Agree 14 7 26.9 13.5
Neither agree nor disagree 9 4 17.3 7.7
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Disagree 20 24 38.5 46.2
Strongly disagree 7 14 13.5 26.9
Total 52 100
In this instance, the migration of participants who changed from “Agree” to
“Disagree” appears to support a mutual cancellation of the influence of the professional development module. However, the number of participants who affirmed that the influence doesn‟t last very long, in their view, was nearly double the number of participants who disagreed.
Table 16
Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #4 of Survey #1 and Survey #3 Item #4 Frequency %
Survey #1 Survey #3 Survey #1 Survey #3
Valid
Strongly agree 2 1 3.8 1.9
Agree 8 12 15.4 23.1
Neither agree nor disagree 15 5 28.8 9.6
Disagree 19 18 36.5 34.6
Strongly disagree 8 16 15.4 30.8
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Total 52 100
This line item is most interesting in the number of participants who changed from
“Neither Agree nor Disagree” in the first survey to choosing a response in the second.
This implies an impact from the training, but the exact nature of this impact is diffused, as the distribution of the responses does not indicate a particular trend.
This line item most clearly demonstrates the shift in attitude as a result of the professional development module. More respondents agreed that this media influences children for the rest of their lives, while fewer respondents disagreed. There were also fewer responses in the “neither agree nor disagree” column, which demonstrates less ambiguity than had been previously reported.
Table 17
Frequency and percentage of responses for Item #5 of Survey #1 and Survey #3 Item #5 Frequency %
Survey #1 Survey #3 Survey #1 Survey #3
Valid
Strongly agree 6 13 11.5 25.0
Agree 19 25 36.5 48.1
Neither agree nor disagree 13 8 25.0 15.4
Disagree 12 6 23.1 11.5
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Strongly disagree 2 0 3.8 0
Total 52 100
These frequency tables show shifts in attitudes in each of the five items queried in the surveys. To further analyze whether or not these frequencies reflected a true change in attitudes between the first and third survey, a dependent t-test was calculated. The
2-tailed significance of 0.000 confirmed a change in the attitudes of the participants toward the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children immediately following the experience of the professional development module.
Table 18
One-Sample Statistics of the immediate pre-post differences related to the professional development module N Mean Standard Deviation
Total score 3 52 16.4038 3.38543
Total score 1 52 15.5000 3.25094
Table 19
One-Sample Test of the immediate pre-post differences related to the professional development module Test Value = 0
t Df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean difference
Total score 3 34.941 51 0.000 16.40385
Total score 1 34.381 51 0.000 15.50000
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Research question #3: Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers’ actual media choice for use in preprimary early childhood classrooms?
Research question #3 was, “Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟ actual media choice for use in preprimary early childhood classrooms?” To answer this question, the participants were notified that they would be contacted after six weeks to follow up on the study. The participants were contacted by both e-mail and by US Mail eight separate times six weeks following the professional development module with a request to answer two questions:
1. Did the professional development module regarding the research-based
evidence of the cultural and gender bias in Disney animated fairy tale media
influence your actual choice of media in preprimary early childhood
classrooms?
2. Have your choices in other materials been influenced by the experience of this
professional development module?
Yet, only 19 out of 52 (36.5%) responded to these repeated queries regarding the intention to use Disney animated media with the preprimary aged children entrusted to their care in the future. Of this number, 13 respondents reported that they would not be using this media in the future; although one respondent reiterated that she did not use
Disney animated media in her practice before the module and would continue with this practice (the module did not affect her practice either way). However, five respondents reported murky intentions. Of these five respondents, the common thread in their responses was the defense of the use of Disney animated media, either due to the notion
89 that “it didn‟t hurt us” (again not considering either the frequency of viewing the media or the age of the child when first exposed to Disney animated fairy tale media) or that bias exists in other media as well. However, of these five respondents, one admitted confusion as to her future selection of media, as she has experienced bias in other media and conveyed that bias was inescapable (therefore justifying the use of Disney animated fairy tale media). Only one respondent reported that she would continue to use Disney media with preprimary aged children, although the conflict she is experiencing about this decision is reflected in her response:
I feel I was influenced just a little. I still show lots of Disney movies but from
time to time I show other movies. What I learned from the module pops into
my head [a] majority of time while I am watching a Disney movie. I have now
been showing other movies besides Disney movies. I have not purchased
another Disney movie but instead purchased Veggie Tales or some other
educational movie. Although I don‟t purchase Disney movies, there are lots I
already own and I play them repeatedly.
Therefore, this research question, although weakened by weak response rate
(36.5% of the total number of original participants), reveals the same resistance that was found while exploring questions #1 and #2. However, 13 of the 19 respondents did indicate that they would not use Disney media in the future. It should be noted that these
13 respondents may be additionally motivated to report a change in practice as a result of the module.
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CHAPTER 5
Discussion
In this chapter, the summary of the study, along with the conclusions, implications of the study, and recommendations for future study will be presented. This chapter is divided into four major sections: summary of the study; discussion; implications of the study, and recommendations for future study.
Summary of the Study
This study set forth to examine the influence of a professional development module focused on research-based evidence of the cultural and gender bias found in
Disney animated fairy tales on preprimary early childhood teachers (if any). The intention was to share both theory and research about the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary teachers and to investigate if a professional development module focused on this gender and cultural bias would influence these preprimary early childhood teachers.
The research questions central to this study were:
1. How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?
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2. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟ intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children?
3. Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟ actual media choice for use in preprimary early childhood classrooms?
Following a pilot study, three separate professional development modules were convened in a county in southeastern Florida in January and February of 2008 to a diverse spectrum of participants. Although the participants selected from a county in southeastern Florida did not precisely reflect the population of that county as a whole on a one-to-one correspondence, as might be the ideal, the participants did represent a respectable approximation of the diversity of the local community, with the exception of gender; 98% of the participants were female, as is typically reflected within the early childhood teacher population as a whole.
Discussion
The results of the study were mixed. The findings revealed support for divergent points of view, as indicated by the analysis of the surveys and transcripts of all three focus groups. According to the views revealed within the pre-professional module surveys, the participants reported a variety of experiences and attitudes regarding the use of Disney animated media prior to the experience of the professional development module. A significant limitation was the difficulty encountered in separating the individual participant‟s positive view of Disney and Disney World theme parks from the content of this module. In addition, participants strongly reflected on their own
92 experience, or on the experience of their own children, instead of the children in their child care centers and their own professional practices. Further, participants rarely reflected on their own preprimary experience; when they reported their own experiences, they tended to use present tense (now, as adults) or when they were eight to ten years of age (instead of three to five years of age, as is the typical preprimary aged child). The pre-professional development module surveys attempted to locate this particular limitation among the participants, and will be discussed further within the examination of each research question.
In addition, throughout the transcripts of all three focus groups, it was found that no one referenced the lectures in any relevant and integrated way, even after being prompted to do so. The film was the overarching and powerful component of the module and the requisite relating of the information contained in the film to the relevancy of the three lectures was virtually non-existent. Repeatedly, participants related the information contained in the film to their own lives, their own children, and their own opinion about
Disney without consideration of the developmental level of the children entrusted to their care or without consideration of the nature of fairy tales or the nature of bias in print and other media. The film eclipsed the nature of the professional developmental module, and it is recommended that this be considered when reviewing the findings of this study. In retrospect, it may offer little surprise that the film dominated the professional development module, as this response was supported by the research discussed in
Chapter 2. The basic premise is that film, particularly animated film, captures its audience in a way that no other medium can (Artz, 2005; Thomas & Johnston, 1984). The
93 liberal use of Disney clips within the DVD also triggered the memories of the participants of their own experience, and/or of the experiences of their children; as a result, objectivity was difficult if not impossible for each of the three groups.
Research Question #1
Three findings were identified in response to research question #1, “How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?” These findings were:
1. surprise/shock and acceptance of the overt cultural and gender bias found in
Disney animated fairy tale media that had not been perceived prior to this
professional development module
2. acknowledgment that gender and cultural bias exists in Disney animated
media, but that its effects do not linger with preprimary aged children as it is
just entertainment and reflects what children find in “real life.”
3. personal reflection on their own practices with their own families, with some
defense within their roles as parents vis a vis the selection of Disney animated
media with their own children.
In each of the three focus groups, none of the participants related the lectures to the subject matter or the revelations in the film. This is in spite of the fact that the first questions posed during each of the focus group interviews had to do with the content of each of the lectures. In each of the three findings, the film eclipsed the lectures in terms of the impact each component had on the participants.
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The persistent resistance to integrate the lectures and the experience of the DVD is virtually a finding in and of itself. Without this integration, the experience of the professional development module was incomplete. However, the response to the film was quite emotional in nature, whether the participants agreed or disagreed about the use of
Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children. Given that the average household spends approximately 39 minutes per day reading (or being read to), versus the nearly two hours per day spent with screen media (Rideout, Vandewater,
& Wartella, 2003), a precedent is set from an early age to process visual information over auditory information (lecture). These numbers stay in ratio: as the time spent with screen media increases, print usage decreases.
In each of the three focus groups which followed the professional development module, the transcripts revealed responses which followed the same overarching pattern: first the shock and surprise to discover cultural and gender bias in Disney animated fairy tale media, which was followed by a strong defense of the use of Disney animated fairy tale media. The third finding involving the personal reflections of the participants‟ own experience and/or the experiences of their children) was interspersed within the first two findings. The personal synthesis of the information presented in the professional development module appeared to have been quite emotional and personal for most of the participants. There was a pattern and a progression in each of the discussions that were very similar in each of the three focus groups. The first finding (the shock and surprise of the discovery of the presence of gender and cultural bias in Disney animated fairy tale media) was immediate and powerful. The participants seemed to be personally and
95 emotionally hurt by this discovery. For the participants who responded emotionally with hurt and anger, they seemed to have the following in common: they had not seen this gender and cultural bias before. They “didn‟t think about it.” There were genuine expressions of betrayal. As the participants shared these expressions, other non- verbalizing members of the group affirmed their comments by robust murmurs and nodding of heads. As the discussions progressed, answers were sought as to how it took place: could it be in the sounds of the movie – in the songs and the soundtrack? Could it be within the portrayal of minorities as animals? This professional development module provided an emotional, eye-opening experience for many of these participants.
Within each of the three focus groups following the professional development module, the first group to respond expressed dismay at their collective discovery of the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media and a second group followed that expressed an enthusiastic defense of the use of Disney animated fairy tale media. This dynamic was repeated in each session. The second group (Finding B) seemed to see the same biases demonstrated in the film that the first group saw, and even seemed to notice these biases for the first time as well, but then, there was the emotional attachment they personally had to the media, and the urge to defend its use with their own families and with the children entrusted to their care. Their comments supported both the
“reality” and “unreality” positions that were strangely congruent. This group discussed that the biases found in Disney animated fairy tale media was not real life and was merely entertainment. They submitted that this film “read too much into it” and that none of these elements influenced children at all. In addition, this group pointed out that the
96 things that transpired in Disney animated fairy tale media really did happen in “real life” to a certain extent, and it was a way to teach children about bias and prejudice in a sugarcoated way. This second group were the strong defenders of Disney animated media.
One of the most interesting quotes that supported this “bias-as-entertainment” defense of Disney animated fairy tale media was from a Hispanic preschool teacher who commented that she always knew that Disney (and Taco Bell) portrayed Latinos as
Chihuahua dogs, but also knew that she was not a dog. She just shrugged it off, as it wasn‟t real. She used this as the example to demonstrate how she processed this portrayal and didn‟t take it personally (and, by extrapolation, she inferred that none of the children would take it personally, either). However, she is processing this iconic representation of
Hispanics from the perspective of a Latino woman. She has the benefit of a strong ethnic identity formed by rituals, habits, food, and customs (Mach, 1993), which positioned her to casually and subconsciously dismiss the portrayal of her ethnicity as dogs. What about the perspective of non-Latinos – the “outsiders looking in” – who do not share this foundation? What influence did the portrayal of her culture as dogs have on these individuals? Could she speak for them as well? This is the nature of bias-as- entertainment. No one can be sure if the portrayal of bias remains on some level within the hearts and minds of the viewer. However, the developmental stage of the preprimary aged child who is watching and processing this media is well known and substantiated by research. According to the developmental stages outlined by Jean Piaget, and as introduced in the first lecture of the preprimary development module, children are
97 experiencing the formation of gender and cultural identity formation and socialization. It is this group, most consciously targeted by the Disney Corporation, that is the most vulnerable to these messages, is the most open to these messages, and who are most interested in the format as it mirrors the way that they think about reality. They are drawn, by and large, to the fantastic nature of animation, the easily manipulated reality through color, music, and animated imagery they encounter in the media.
There was one final finding (Finding C) in response to the first research question,
“How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales?” This was infused throughout the comments made by the two groups that formed in each of the focus group following the professional development module. This finding was the strong personalization of the experience of Disney animated fairy tale media. This is identified as a separate finding as the majority of the participants drew upon their own personalization of their experience of the film and personal rumination of the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with themselves and with their families to be objective about the use of this media with preprimary children entrusted to their care. This was again found in each of the three focus groups. The responses of these participants were very personal: many expressed guilt and shame at the revelation that they had promoted this material with their own children. Others defended its use more strongly as the Disney Corporation promoted a view of femininity that they wanted for their daughters. Responses were emotional and textured. One participant shared that she would never consider for a moment showing her daughter an
98 adult story that portrayed the domestic abuse endured by Belle in Beauty and the Beast, so why would she show her this story just because it was a Disney animation, now that she realized the story line so clearly?
It was this personalization of experience with the realization of the cultural and gender biases found in Disney animated fairy tale media that led to the two perspectives demonstrated in Finding A and Finding B. Actually, it could be seen that the bulk of
Finding B (the defense of the use of Disney animated fairy tale media) could be considered, in actuality, as Finding A(2), as it was an outcropping of the initial shock and surprise to discover the bias there in the first place. There were so many strong dismissals of gender and cultural biases found in Disney animated fairy tale media discussed in the film that the establishment of a separate finding is defensible.
Research Question #2
In response to the second research question, two more findings emerged. The question was: “Will participation in this professional development module influence preprimary teachers‟ intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children?” The overall tenor of the responses of the participants in all three focus groups following the professional development modules was less strident.
Finding A expressed resolve to change their attitudes toward Disney animated fairy tale media as a result of the new information learned during the professional development module (again, primarily from within the film). However, some of the individuals who defended the use of Disney animated fairy tale media within the context of the first question continued to try to broker a peace between the use of the media and the
99 protection against the promotion of harmful gender and cultural stereotypes to young children. Some of the teachers suggested strategies that they might implement to offset the negative consequences of the film. It was important to those teachers to continue to use this media, but to be conscious about the messages and to address these messages with the children. Other teachers vowed to discontinue all use of Disney animated fairy tale media, and yet, were aware of the futility of stemming the tide entirely, as parents, too, used this media in the home. One group in the first professional development module immediately scheduled and replicated this professional development module with the parents in their preschool center. Another group immediately replicated this professional development module with other teachers in their center. However, there was an overall awareness of the power of the media and the full infusion of this media within our own culture. For some of these participants, there was a call to action as a point of advocacy for racial equality.
Finding B was more subtle, yet present in the transcripts of all three focus groups following the professional development modules. The group who supported the use of
Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood students was so emotionally attached to the use of Disney animated fairy tale media, and to their own experiences children and adults, that they didn‟t want to stop their practices of using this media with the preprimary aged children entrusted to their care. One participant clearly stated that she saw the point that the film made about bias, but wanted to continue to use the material anyway. What then, she asked? Others agreed. This also clearly demonstrates the limitation found with the personal attachment to Disney World and
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Disney materials and the physical proximity to the Magic Kingdom from this county in southeastern Florida. Many local families are just a few hours from Disney World and routinely incorporate trips to Orlando as part of the family routine. This limitation was impossible to isolate but did surface in all of the transcripts.
The quantitative analysis of the identical, Likert-scaled Survey #1 and Survey #3, which were administered both pre- and post- professional development module, revealed an immediate shift in attitude of the participants with respect to the use of Disney animated fairy tale media. The frequency tables found in Chapter 4 (Tables 13 through
17) demonstrate an impact from the experience of the professional development module.
A confirmatory t-test administered to analyze the shift in frequencies of the answers to each of the five questions found in Survey #1 and Survey #3 resulted in a 2-tailed significance of 0.000, confirming a change in the attitudes of the participants toward the use of Disney animated fairy tale media immediately following the experience of the professional development module.
Research Question #3
Research question #3 was, “Will participation in this professional development module influence teachers‟ actual media choice for use in preprimary early childhood classrooms?” To answer this question, the participants were notified that they would be contacted after six weeks to follow up on the study. The participants were then contacted by both e-mail and by US Mail eight separate times six weeks following the professional development module. Only nineteen responded to these repeated queries regarding their intention to use Disney animated media with the preprimary aged children entrusted to
101 their care in the future. Conclusions regarding this research question remain unclear with
36.5% of the participants responding, although of this number, a majority (74%) indicated that they would not use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary children entrusted to their care in the future.
Throughout the analysis of the data gathered in the course of this study, it was evident that this is an emotionally charged issue. The Disney Corporation has successfully infused its materials into the mainstream culture and families have accepted their implied standing as representative of wholesome family entertainment. The enjoyment that adults derive from Disney animations, and from the sharing of these materials with younger children, is part of our American heritage (Giroux, 1997).
Without the consideration of content, the actual participation in viewing any film carries a warning from the American Pediatric Association (2001) that suggests young children should view visual media no more than two hours per day, if at all, and that children under two years of age should not view film at all. This recommendation is based on the preference of physical activity and other engagement with the physical and social world that is not taking place while children are placated and engaged in “screen time” of any kind. When the content is considered against the backdrop of what we know from Jean
Piaget about the developmental stages of preprimary children, together with the understanding of what constitutes bias in print and film media, it becomes clear that another choice for the entertainment and/or education of young children might better serve the population.
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However, the reality is that children are growing up today fully immersed in media of all kinds, including computers, electronic games, DVD and video players, and television. Nearly every child in the United States (99%) lives in a home with a television set, and parents believe that electronic media helps their children learn. But what are they learning? Over 87% of children imitate behaviors learned on television (Rideout,
Vandewater, & Wartella, 2003).
The current study seems to support the view that Disney animated fairy tale media enjoy unlimited shelf life, and promote a vision of gender and cultural bias that is endorsed by trusted adults who see Disney as cloaked in innocence and sound family values (Giroux, 1999). The corporate protocols of the animations have been honed to elicit the same responses from the audience: and the net result is an enchanted fascination with the content and film itself. The message is clear: when it pertains to very young children, content cannot be ignored.
Implications
The emotional, thoughtful, and strong response to the professional development module suggests that it offers a worthy demonstration to pursue in the future with other populations of teachers and parents. Parents and preprimary early childhood teachers will benefit from the exposure to this module from both content and process perspectives, particularly if used in conjunction with suggestions of developmentally appropriate activities for young children to use in the place of Disney animated media. The participants recommended that this professional development module be included in college courses to promote awareness of the racial and gender bias found in children‟s
103 media before college students go on to become parents and teachers, particularly when included in the context of a multicultural education framework. This professional development module can serve as a strong first step toward promoting media literacy among families and teachers as it addresses media content (Disney animated fairy tales), arguably cultural icons that reaches so many consumers around the world. There is commonality of exposure and experience that positions this professional development module as a powerful and viable platform with which to illustrate key concepts of bias development in preprimary children. Conversely, it is this same phenomenon of media- as-cultural-icon that also hampers the effectiveness of this professional development module. Further, the use of media in professional development is a powerful medium to convey information and evoke discussion that lectures alone don‟t convey. As was evidenced in this study, the use of media in the professional development module overwhelmed the lecture material. Therefore, an expanded study of the use of media in teacher education, both in the context of professional development modules as well as in higher education coursework, is warranted.
Public policy regarding content in preprimary early childhood media can be strengthened with the use of this module. While the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and quality initiatives address media consumption from various perspectives (most commonly from a general consideration of total screen time experienced by preprimary children), none address content which influences the cultural and gender identity formation of preprimary children in the preprimary stage of development. NAEYC does
104 publish a position statement on Violence and the Media, which addresses violent content throughout all media (not just animation), but doesn‟t extend this policy to consider nuanced gender and cultural biases promoted through the media. There is a need for a national and international dialogue about media and children, with both an educational presence and a corporate presence working together for the better welfare of children and society as a whole.
Recommendations for Future Research
Further study is warranted to determine if the emotional attachment to Disney animated fairy tale media is as emotionally charged in communities located further away from a Disney hub such as the State of Florida. Additional research may be explored with respect to how individuals process the cognitive dissonance encountered while confronting evidence of cultural and gender bias found in beloved icons of community childhood experiences that the Disney Corporation (and others) have provided through animations and other media with generational shelf lives. Research is also needed with respect to the educational levels of the participants experiencing the professional development module. Do individuals with training in multiculturalism experience this module in a similar way to individuals who have not? This professional development module may be most effective as part of a multipronged approach in gender and cultural studies in early childhood education, and further research could help to clarify this concern.
In addition, it might be of interest to conduct these professional development modules with faith-based groups and homogenized cultures from other countries to see if
105 there is any significant difference in the attitude toward Disney and if so, if they would change their intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary aged students. This researcher presented this material to a faith-based group two months ago outside of the confines of this study and found total acceptance of the material. Not one of the 26 faith-based teachers and directors who attended this presentation used Disney material in their classrooms or in their homes with preprimary aged children. They were very well aware of the gender and cultural bias found in the Disney animated fairy tale media. Why was this so? Could it be education levels? Could it be that this group was already predisposed to content sensitivity and concerned with content generally as part of their religious practice? Further study would be warranted to define any variables consistently demonstrated within this group.
For this particular module, however, it was demonstrated that the information shared in the first three lectures was not integrated into the learning experienced by the participants. This presents a serious problem, as one objective of the module is to demonstrate that very young children may be more vulnerable to the messages contained in the media than are adults and older children. Perhaps the order of the module should be reversed, i.e., the film should be viewed first, followed by the lectures that would seek to integrate the information that was just learned in the film into commonly held beliefs of early childhood educators. Perhaps this reordering would prove to be a better option vis a vis the integration of the entire professional development module as a whole unit. This module could then be delivered with intentionality to achieve an objective, that is, to alter the teachers‟ practices with respect to the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with
106 preprimary aged children, and by extension, to begin a process of learning to critically evaluate film and other media for gender and cultural biases.
Another option is to break the film down into small components of specific illustrations and integrate the visual message within the lecture itself. In other words, demonstrate the lessons in the lectures by specific (short) cuts in the film to divert attention away from the film and keep attention focused on lecture content.
Also, an opportunity was missed in locating and corresponding the variations of responses to the variations and diversity found within the population of the participants.
In other words, did the participants with the highest education, youngest age, minority ethnicity, or any other variable, consistently view the use of the media in any repeating pattern? Would the awareness of, and/or use of, Disney animated media (and other similar products) be correlated to educational and/or socio-economic status of the participants? If so, could other findings emerge relative to academic, social, and physical benchmarks of the early childhood learner? It would seem that this would prove interesting as younger participants have had increased exposure to media, and have experienced multiple viewings of Disney animated fairy tale media. Older participants may have only seen a film once or twice as a child as compared with the almost continuous loop afforded by many individual video players.
This professional development module serves, at the very minimum, to enhance our awareness of the potential forces that press upon the youngest members of our society through the media. It is our job to discern and promote the most positive of these forces
107 in order to promote the holistic development of young children into strong and confident adults for the health and vitality of all of society.
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APPENDIX B
Invitation Letter to Directors
July ___, 2007
Director Person ABC Child Care Street City, State, Zip
Dear Director Person:
I am working on a dissertation in curriculum and instruction with an early childhood specialization. My research involves the efficacy of a professional development module focused on research-based evidence of the cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales for early childhood teachers. In this module, early childhood teachers will gain insight into cultural and gender bias found in early childhood materials as well as insight into the preoperational developmental stage as defined by Jean Piaget.
This professional development module has been approved by the State of Florida to award four hours of the required annual in-service training at no cost to the participants or their centers.
The professional development modules will take place at the Florida Atlantic University campus in Boca Raton on Sept. ___, and ___, 2007 and at the Florida Atlantic University campus in Jupiter on Sept ___ 2007. Please ask the nominees to indicate their preferred date for participation on the attached sign-up sheet. Every attempt will be made to honor their choice.
Everyone who is interested in the training will be given an opportunity to receive it, although only three groups of ten individuals will be selected for the focus groups within the professional development module. Please indicate if the participants interested in this professional development module would be interested to serve as a volunteer in the focus group. Please assure your staff that strict confidentiality will be maintained throughout this research.
Nominees will receive their four–hour professional development certificate upon completion of the Professional Development Module on the day of their training. A confirmation letter will be sent to you one week prior to the training.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 561.866.0209. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Ruth A. Doran Researcher 111
PARTICIPANT WORKSHEET
INSTRUCTIONS: Please use this page to identify interested participants (by session and location), their e-mail addresses, and who is interested in volunteering to participate in a ten-member focus group at the end of the professional development module. (It is not necessary to participate in the focus group to be awarded the four-hour certificate). Please use the back of this page if necessary for additional space. Please return this page in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope to the researcher. Thank you!
______Name of Center Code No.
FAU Boca Raton, September ___, 2007
NAME OF PREPRIMARY VOLUNTEER EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER E-MAIL ADDRESS FOCUS GRP? ______
______
______
FAU Boca Raton, September ____, 2007
NAME OF PREPRIMARY VOLUNTEER EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER E-MAIL ADDRESS FOCUS GRP? ______
______
______
FAU Jupiter, September ____, 2007
NAME OF PREPRIMARY VOLUNTEER EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER E-MAIL ADDRESS FOCUS GRP?
______
______
______
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APPENDIX C
Demographics Questionnaire – Participant Number ______
1. Are you presently employed in a preprimary early childhood classroom?
Yes_____ No _____
If “Yes”, are you a lead teacher _____ or a teacher assistant? ______
2. Your primary responsibilities are with which age group?
Infants_____ 1-2_____ 2-3 _____ 3-4_____ 4-5_____ 5 + ______
3. What is your approximate age: 18-29 ____ 30 - 39 _____ 40 – 49 _____ 50 – 59_____
60+_____
4. What is your gender? Male ______Female ______
5. What is your educational level?
Entry___ 45 Hr. Training ___ CDAE ____ National CDA_____
Associate Degree ___ Bachelor‟s Degree in Early Childhood_____
Bachelor‟s Degree in Education ____
Bachelor‟s Degree in Other Discipline_____ (Specify) ______
Higher Degree (Specify)______
6. Please indicate your ethnicity:
African American _____
Asian _____
Caucasian _____
Hispanic _____
Native American _____
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7. Do you use Disney animated fairy tales with the preprimary early childhood children in your care? If so, please check next to all that apply:
Name of Story Animated Film
Aladdin _____
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs _____
Beauty and the Beast _____
Little Mermaid _____
Cinderella _____
Sleeping Beauty _____
101 Dalmatians _____
Bambi _____
Please include any others here (if applicable):
______
______
______
8. What percentage of the preprimary early childhood children in your care do you estimate own Disney merchandise (i.e., lunchboxes, clothing, shoes, backpacks, glasses, pens/pencils, etc.) (please circle one)
< 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% 100%
9. May I contact you by e-mail in six weeks with two follow-up questions to this professional development module?
Yes______No_____
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APPENDIX D
Pre-professional development module Likert-scaled survey #1 of preprimary early childhood education teachers regarding gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media
Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about the statement or question.
NEITHER STRONGLY STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NOR DISAGREE AGREE DISAGREE DISAGREE 1. Disney animations help preprimary early childhood aged 1 2 3 4 5 children to develop their own imaginations. 2. Preprimary early childhood aged children are too young 1 2 3 4 5 to be influenced by the cultural messages found in media. 3. Disney animated fairy tales temporarily influence preprimary 1 2 3 4 5 early childhood aged children, but it doesn‟t last for long. 4. Disney animated fairy tales are ideal for preprimary early childhood classrooms 1 2 3 4 5 as they suggest many rich sources with which to build curriculum. 5. Disney animated fairy tales influence preprimary early 1 2 3 4 5 childhood aged children for the rest of their lives.
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APPENDIX E
Pre-professional development module Likert-scaled survey #2 of preprimary early childhood education teachers regarding gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media
Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about the statement or question.
NEITHER STRONGLY STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NOR DISAGREE AGREE DISAGREE DISAGREE 1. I presently use Disney animated fairy tale media in 1 2 3 4 5 my preprimary early childhood classroom. 2. I would prefer to use non-Disney animated media with preprimary early 1 2 3 4 5 childhood aged children, but they are hard to find. 3. I am a fan of Disney animated 1 2 3 4 5 fairy tale media. 4. Disney animated fairy tale media 1 2 3 4 5 favorably influenced my own childhood. 5. To the best of my recollection, my first encounter with Disney animated 1 2 3 4 5 fairy tale media took place when I was five years of age or older.
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APPENDIX F
Post-professional development module Likert-scaled survey #3 of preprimary early childhood education teachers regarding gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media
Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about the statement or question.
NEITHER STRONGLY STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NOR DISAGREE AGREE DISAGREE DISAGREE 1. Disney animations help preprimary early childhood aged children 1 2 3 4 5 to develop their own imaginations. 2. Preprimary early childhood aged children are too young to be 1 2 3 4 5 influenced by the cultural messages found in media. 3. Disney animated fairy tales temporarily influence preprimary 1 2 3 4 5 early childhood aged children, but it doesn‟t last for long. 4.Disney animated fairy tales are ideal for preprimary early childhood classrooms 1 2 3 4 5 as they suggest many rich sources with which to build curriculum. 5.Disney animated fairy tales influence preprimary early 1 2 3 4 5 childhood aged children for the rest of their lives.
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APPENDIX G
Post-professional development module Likert-scaled survey #4 of preprimary early childhood education teachers regarding gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media
Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about the statement or question.
NEITHER STRONGLY STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NOR DISAGREE AGREE DISAGREE DISAGREE 1. The video, “Mickey Mouse Monopoly,” introduced me to points 1 2 3 4 5 of view that I had never considered before today. 2. The lecture raised points of view that I had never 1 2 3 4 5 considered before today. 3. My intention to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early 1 2 3 4 5 childhood aged children has changed after my experience today. 4. Disney animated fairy tale media provide rich opportunities for discussion with 1 2 3 4 5 preprimary early childhood aged children about gender and/or cultural issues. 5. The experience of this professional development module has not influence my intention to use 1 2 3 4 5 Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary aged children.
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APPENDIX H
Focus Group Interview Guide
1. During this session, we have discussed early childhood development, what experts say about anti-bias curriculum and young children, and how to identify fairy tale animated media. We have also just watched the Mickey Mouse Monopoly video. To get us started, I‟m interested to hear how you are making sense of any or all of these topics. 2. OK. Now, my plan is to invite your discussion on each of the elements of the professional development session. First, let‟s talk about the Piaget/early childhood development information (For example, let‟s pick the part about preoperational development). What do you remember about that discussion? What was already familiar to you? Were there things about our discussion that you didn‟t understand? (Please do not hesitate, speak up, we are all friends). What makes sense to you about Piaget‟s ideas and what you see in your children each day? 3. Now, let‟s talk a bit about anti-bias curriculum. What do you remember about that discussion? Have you heard of anti-bias curriculum before? If so, where? Do you think that the content of children‟s media can influence their socialization and development? Do you think that the content of media influences preprimary early childhood aged children for life, or does its influence wear off as the child grows older? 4. What about the component about fairy tale media? Did you learn anything new about fairy tale media today? If so, what was it? Did you know that there was a difference between fairy tales and folk tales? Do you think that fairy tales are fun for preprimary early childhood aged children and if so, why? If not, why? 5. OK. Let‟s talk about the movie, Mickey Mouse Monopoly. How would you assess the overall effectiveness of this documentary? Have you ever before considered the points presented in this documentary? How do you think most people would react to this documentary? Why does Disney arouse such passionate reactions, both pro and con, in people? What steps toward media literacy can you think of that we should teach children to help them critically evaluate Disney and other popular culture products for themselves? Should this be taught in schools, even using Disney as an object of study? (MEF Study Guide, 2006). What did you think of the content of that movie? What did you agree with? What did you disagree with? What was your favorite section? Have you ever realized that African Americans were not represented in Disney animations before? Do you think that this holds any significance for very young children? 6. Have your intentions to use about Disney media changed as a result of this session? What “big ideas” are you taking away from this session? 7. Will you share any of this information with parents? Would you considering discussion this with your Director and arranging for someone to share this with parents at your school? 8. Any final comments or questions? 9. Do not forget to come up and get your professional development module certificate and Dr. Levin‟s “Action Steps from the NAEYC Conference in 2005.” THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!
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APPENDIX I
Scripts
PROFESSIONAL MODULE PARTICIPATION INSTRUCTIONS Research Questions: 1. How do preprimary early childhood teachers respond to a professional development module regarding research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales? 2. Will participation in this professional development module influence the intention to use of Disney animated fairy tale media as a curricular choice with preprimary early childhood children? Opening Script: Hello! Welcome to all of you! My name is Ruth Doran and I am working toward a doctorate at Florida Atlantic University which will explore the efficacy of a professional development module, focused on research-based evidence of the cultural and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media, and how it might potentially influence preprimary early childhood education teachers‟ intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media during planned activities. I am undertaking this particular study to enhance my understanding of how teachers view the use of Disney animated fairy tale media with preschool-aged children, and if the introduction of research-based evidence of cultural and gender bias might influence teachers‟ intentions to use this media. I want to assure you that information gathered today will be used in the context of my study only and your identity will be kept in the strictest confidence. I will be taping this session in order to codify the experience for my research. Does anyone have any objections to this? I assure you that it will be used for my own study purposes only. Thank you for taking the time to participate in this study! You will each be awarded a four –hour in-service certificate for participating in this workshop at the conclusion of the focus group at the end of the session. The workshop will be divided into five sections: the two entrance Likert-scaled surveys, a three part lecture regarding the Piagetian perspective of child development; anti-bias curriculum standards with a presentation of identified elements of gender and cultural bias as found in children‟s media; and the identification of Disney fairy tale animated media. Following the break, we will watch a 52 minute research film, “Mickey Mouse Monopoly” and then complete two additional Likert-scaled surveys. There will be another break, after which time we will reconvene and a focus group will explore together what was found to be important in the elements of the lecture and of the film for further study. Are there any questions? Thank you for electing to participate in this professional development module! Let‟s begin with a round of introductions.
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APPENDIX I (continued) PREPRIMARY CHILD DEVELOPMENTAL LECTURE USING THE PERSPECTIVES OF JEAN PIAGET POWER POINT SLIDE OUTLINE AND HANDOUT
Slide #1 Child Development
Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Development of the Preschool-Aged Child
Slide #2 Jean Jacques Piaget (1896 – 1980) is widely considered to be the foremost expert on the development of knowledge from birth through adulthood. Piaget‟s ideas serve as a guide to cognitive theory. He studied child thought processes and how they change with age. He has influenced child psychology, theories of learning, philosophy, intellectual development, and social and emotional development.
Slide #3 Piaget‟s Theory of Cognitive Development
His theories are both maturational (sequential and governed by heredity) and environmental (experiences children have directly affect their development)
Thinking and learning is a process of interaction between a child and his or her environment
Slide #4 Piaget‟s Developmental Theory
Developmental stages are invariate - meaning that all children pass through each developmental stage sequentially and
Developmental stages are transformative – meaning that the quality of later intellectual behavior depends on the quality of the experiences that preceded it
Slide #5 Preoperational Stage (Ages 2-7)
Dependent on concrete representations (difficulty in distinguishing fact from fantasy)
Uses the world of „here and now‟ as frame of reference
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Enjoys accelerated language development
Internalizes events
Is egocentric in thought and action
Is perceptually bound, makes judgments based primarily on how things look.
Thinks everything has a reason or purpose
Slide #6 Developmental Hallmarks of the Preoperational Stage
Egocentric and not empathetic – objectivity is not found
Engaged in animism – attribute life to inanimate objects
Precluded from distinguishing fantasy from reality
Preschool children enjoy fairy tales due to their very inability to think abstractly. From age three to five, children are magical thinkers, believing that thinking something causes it to be so.
Slide #7 Egocentrism
Egocentrism is natural and normal but must be considered when working with preschool aged children. If something seems dangerous (a shadow or perceived “monsters”) it IS dangerous, and if it seems nondangerous (the friendly stranger) it IS nondangerous.
Preschoolers accept the world at face value – what they see and touch and feel and imagine is real to them
Slide #8 Schemas
Schemas are mental concepts that are developed by human beings to think about and interact with their environments. Preschool aged children use language and pretend play
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Slide #9 Adaptive Processes
All people use three basic processes to think:
1. Assimilation – taking new information and organizing it to fit with whatever is known
2. Accommodation – taking new information and changing what is already known to fit the new information
3. Equilibrium – the achievement of mental balance whereby a person takes new information and continuously attempts to make sense of the experiences and perceptions
Slide #10 Constructivism
Children construct knowledge on an ongoing basis and continuously revise their knowledge as they are exposed to new environments and experiences. Piaget believed that children learn best when they are actually doing the work (play) themselves rather than being shown or told what to do.
Slide #11 Social and Emotional Development
Preschool aged children are also engaged in critical social and emotional development constructs.
Family and culture form the basis of the child‟s social and emotional development.
Children additionally explore emotionally and socially through the relationships they form with non-family members (friends, teachers, non-family adults encountered) and through their play experiences.
Slide #12 Play
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The way we interpret children‟s development through play differs from culture to culture as children always reflect their own social values and personal ethnic practices
Preschool aged children are engaged in developmental play sequences – parallel play
(separate from others but with toys or actions that are similar to others); associative play
(social interaction that isn‟t organized, interested in others without a plan); cooperative play (group play, organized activities, games)
Slide #13 Dramatic Play (imaginative or pretend play)
One of the principle play activities of preschool aged children
Children assume the roles of different characters, both animate and inanimate
Children identify themselves with another person or thing, acting out situations that interest or frighten them
Dramatic play provides the forum to work out personal difficulties by themselves
Slide #14 Play as the “Work of Children”
Piaget believed that play is the “work of children” and results in the following types of learning:
1. Learning about themselves through the development of a sense of competence resulting in a positive self-image
2. Learning about others and the world around them - the emphasis on social interaction and group relationships in group play situations in early childhood underscore this goal
3. Learning how to solve problems – play poses many problems to solve and negotiations to forge
Slide #15 Gender Identity Formation
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Piaget believed in a social cognitive view of gender identity formation where in children learn through observation and imitation
Children learn gender – appropriate behavior through reinforcements (rewards and punishments)
Environment and family cues are powerful contributors to gender identity formation
Slide #16 Cultural (Ethnic) Identity Formation
Preoperational children learn culture from their families and the environment around them
Symbolic forms (rituals, ceremonies, myths, festivities, art, literature) contribute to cultural and ethnic identity formation
Habits and gestures repeated before a child become a basis of cultural and ethnic identity
Media can contribute to cultural and ethnic identity formation by repeated exposure
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CHILD DEVELOPMENT POWER POINT HANDOUT
Slide 1 ______Child Development ______Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Development of the Preschool- Aged Child ______
______
Slide 2 Jean Jacques Piaget (1896 – 1980) is ______widely considered to be the foremost expert on the development of knowledge from ______birth through adulthood ______• Piaget‟s ideas serve as a guide to cognitive theory. He studied child thought processes and how they change with age. ______• He has influenced child psychology, theories of learning, philosophy, intellectual development, ______and social and emotional development. ______
______
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Slide 3 ______Piaget‟s Theory of Cognitive Development ______• His theories are both maturational (sequential and governed by heredity) and environmental (experiences children have directly affect their ______development) • Thinking and learning is a process of ______interaction between a child and his or her environment ______
______
Slide 4 ______Piaget‟s Developmental Theory ______• Developmental stages are invariate - meaning that all children pass through each developmental stage sequentially and ______• Developmental stages are transformative – meaning that the quality of later intellectual ______behavior depends on the quality of the experiences that preceded it ______
______
Slide 5 ______Preoperational Stage (Ages 2-7) • Dependent on concrete representations ______(difficulty in distinguishing fact from fantasy) • Uses the world of „here and now‟ as frame of ______reference • Enjoys accelerated language development ______• Internalizes events • Is egocentric in thought and action ______• Is perceptually bound, makes judgments based primarily on how things look. ______• Thinks everything has a reason or purpose ______
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Slide 6 Developmental Hallmarks of ______The Preoperational Stage • Egocentric and not empathetic – objectivity is ______not found • Engaged in animism – attribute life to ______inanimate objects • Precluded from distinguishing fantasy from reality ______• Preschool children enjoy fairy tales due to their very inability to think abstractly. From age three to five, children are magical thinkers, ______believing that thinking something causes it to be so. ______
______
Slide 7 ______Egocentrism ______• Egocentrism is natural and normal but must be considered when working with preschool aged children. ______• If something seems dangerous (a shadow or perceived “monsters”) it IS dangerous, and if it seems nondangerous (the friendly stranger) it ______IS nondangerous • Preschoolers accept the world at face value – ______what they see and touch and feel and imagine is real to them ______
______
Slide 8 ______Schemas ______• Schemas are mental concepts that are developed by human beings to think about and interact with their environments ______• Preschool aged children use language and pretend play to create their understanding of ______the world around them • Children actively construct knowledge on an ______on-going basis ______
______
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Slide 9 Adaptive Processes ______• All people use three basic processes to think: ______1. Assimilation – taking new information and organizing it to fit with whatever is known ______2. Accommodation – taking new information and changing what is already known to fit the new information ______3. Equilibrium – the achievement of mental balance whereby a person takes new ______information and continuously attempts to make sense of the experiences and perceptions ______
______
Slide 10 ______Constructivism ______• Children construct knowledge on an ongoing basis and continuously revise their knowledge as they are exposed to ______new environments and experiences • Piaget believed that children learn best ______when they are actually doing the work (play) themselves rather than being shown ______or told what to do ______
______
Slide 11 ______Social and Emotional Development • Preschool aged children are also engaged in ______critical social and emotional development constructs ______• Family and culture form the basis of the child‟s social and emotional development ______• Children additionally explore emotionally and socially through the relationships they form with non-family members (friends, teachers, ______non-family adults encountered) and through their play experiences ______
______
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Slide 12 ______Play • The way we interpret children‟s development through ______play differs from culture to culture as children always reflect their own social values and personal ethnic practices ______• Preschool aged children are engaged in developmental play sequences – parallel play (separate from others but with toys or actions that are ______similar to others); associative play (social interaction that isn‟t organized, interested in others without a ______plan); cooperative play (group play, organized activities, games) ______
______
Slide 13 Dramatic Play ______(imaginative or pretend play) ______• One of the principle play activities of preschool aged children • Children assume the roles of different ______characters, both animate and inanimate • Children identify themselves with another ______person or thing, acting out situations that interest or frighten them • Dramatic play provides the forum to work out ______personal difficulties by themselves ______
______
Slide 14 ______Play as the “Work of Children”
• Piaget believed that play is the “work of children” ______and results in the following types of learning: 1. Learning about themselves through the development of a sense of competence resulting in a positive self- ______image 2. Learning about others and the world around them - the emphasis on social interaction and group ______relationships in group play situations in early childhood underscore this goal 3. Learning how to solve problems – play poses many ______problems to solve and negotiations to forge ______
______
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Slide 15 ______Gender Identity Formation ______• Piaget believed in a social cognitive view of gender identity formation where in children learn through observation and ______imitation • Children learn gender – appropriate behavior through reinforcements (rewards ______and punishments) • Environment and family cues are powerful ______contributors to gender identity formation ______
______
Slide 16 ______Cultural (Ethnic) Identity Formation ______• Preoperational children learn culture from their families and the environment around them • Symbolic forms (rituals, ceremonies, myths, ______festivities, art, literature) contribute to cultural and ethnic identity formation ______• Habits and gestures repeated before a child become a basis of cultural and ethnic identity • Media can contribute to cultural and ethnic ______identity formation by repeated exposure ______
______
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APPENDIX “I” (continued)
ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM STANDARDS WITH A PRESENATION OF IDENTIFIED ELEMENTS OF GENDER AND CULTURAL BIAS AS FOUND IN CHILDREN‟S MEDIA POWER POINT SLIDE OUTLINE AND HANDOUT
Slide #1 Anti-Bias Curriculum
How to Identify Gender and Cultural Bias
Slide #2 What is Anti-Bias Curriculum?
Published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in the United
States (NAEYC), Louise Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force tackled the problem of bias in children‟s literature and other media.
Slide #3 Text
Their book, “Anti-Bias Curriculum, Tools for Empowering Young Children” contains definitions of, and checklists for, gender, culture, and racial bias in children‟s media.
Slide #4 Quick Ways to Analyze Media for Racism and Sexism
What are the most obvious cues that bias exists in children‟s media?
Slide #5 Look for Stereotypes
Are minority characters just like whites, except for being tinted or colored in?
(Tokenism).
Who is Doing What? (Are minority characters in subservient or passive roles?)
Who are the heroes?
Slide #6 What About Lifestyles?
What are the characteristics of the lifestyle depicted?
What is the relationship between the people?
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What are the effects on a child‟s self image?
Slide #7 Loaded Racist Language
A word is loaded when it has offensive overtones
Examples are “savage,” “primitive,” “conniving,” “lazy,” “superstitious,” “treacherous,”
“wily,” “crafty,” “inscrutable,” “docile,” “backward.”
Slide #8 Loaded Sexist Language
Look for language that exclude or in any way demean girls or women. Look for use of male pronoun to refer to both males and females. Positive examples:
“ancestors” instead of “forefathers”
“chairperson” instead of “chairman”
“community” instead of “brotherhood”
“manufactured” instead of “man-made”
“human family” instead of “family of man”
Slide #9 Gender Definitions:What are Some Female Stereotypes?
Passive; Frightened; Weak; Gentle; Giving up easily; Unoriginal; Silly; Illogical;
Shrewish; Nagging; Confused; Neat; Short; Inept; Dependent; Follower; Conformer;
Controlling anger; Emotional; Playing or working indoors; Concerned about appearances; Has innate need for marriage and motherhood.
Slide #10 Gender Definitions: What are Some Male Stereotypes?
Active; Brave; Strong; Rough; Competitive; Inventive; Intelligent, Logical, Quiet,
Easygoing, Decisive, Problem-Solving; Messy, Tall, Mechanical, Independent, Leader,
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Innovator, Expresses anger, Unemotional, Plays or works outdoors; Unconcerned about appearance, Craves adventure.
Slide #11 Stereotypes of Asian-Americans
Smiling, polite, and small; Bucktoothed and squinty-eyed, Mystical and wise; Exotic foreigner; Places no value on human life; Sexy, sweet, “China Doll” or “Dragon Lady,”
Sinister; Sly
Slide #12 Stereotypes of Afro-Americans
Athletic super jock; eye-rolling, shuffling, fearful, superstitious comic; smooth talking con man; super-stud; rough, dangerous criminal; exotic primitive; big-bosomed, bossy mother or maid – commander of the household; sexy temptress; the loudly-dressed, happy-go-lucky buffoon
Slide #13 Stereotypes of Latinos
Hard-working, poor, submissive, self-sacrificing religious mother of many; macho boaster and supreme commander of household; sexy, loud, fiery young man or woman
(frequently preferring whites); sombrero wearing, serape clad, sandaled worker taking a siesta near a donkey; teenage gang members; fringe (criminal) activities
Slide #14 Stereotypes of Native Americans
Hunter, tracker; noble child of nature; savage, bloodthirsty “native”; wise old chief; heavyset, workhorse “squaw”; “Indian princess” (depicted with European features and often in love with a white man for whom she is willing to sacrifice her life); stoic, loyal follower
Slide #15 Stereotypes of Differently-Abled People
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Evil, blind man with unnatural powers; village “idiot”; pitiful paraplegic; ugly
“hunchback”; childlike dwarf; “insane” criminal; one-eyed pirate; “hunchbacked” old crone; blind witch; sexless sad creature; evil witch with a cane; self-pitying whiner; hard of hearing crank; pitiful little “cripple”
Slide #16 Standards for Success
Does it take “white” behavior to “get ahead” for minority persons?
In relationships between whites and people of color, who is doing most of the understanding and forgiving?
To gain acceptance and approval, do minorities have to demonstrate extraordinary qualities, such as excel in sports, get all A‟s, etc?
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ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM POWER POINT HANDOUT
Slide 1 ______
Anti-Bias Curriculum ______
How to Identify ______Gender and Cultural Bias ______
______
Slide 2 ______What is Anti-Bias Curriculum? ______• Published by the National Association ______for the Education of Young Children in the United States (NAEYC), Louise ______Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force tackled the problem of bias in children’s literature and other media. ______
______
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Slide 3 ______Text ______• Their book, “Anti-Bias Curriculum, ______Tools for Empowering Young Children” contains definitions of, and ______checklists for, gender, culture, and racial bias in children’s media. ______
______
Slide 4 ______Quick Ways to Analyze Media for Racism and Sexism ______
• What are the most obvious cues that bias ______exists in children‟s media? ______
______
Slide 5 Look for Stereotypes ______• Are minority characters just like whites, except for being tinted or ______colored in? (Tokenism). • Who is Doing What? (Are minority characters in subservient or passive ______roles?) • Who are the heros? ______
______
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Slide 6 ______What About Lifestyles? ______• What are the characteristics of the lifestyle depicted? ______• What is the relationship between the people? ______• What are the effects on a child’s self image? ______
______
Slide 7 ______Loaded Racist Language ______• A word is loaded when it has offensive overtones ______• Examples are “savage,” “primitive,” “conniving,” “lazy,” “superstitious,” ______“treacherous,” “wily,” “crafty,” “inscrutable,” “docile,” “backward.” ______
______
Slide 8 ______Loaded Sexist Language ______• Look for language that exclude or in any way demean girls or women. Look for use of male pronoun to refer to both males and females. ______Positive examples: • “ancestors” instead of “forefathers” ______• “chairperson” instead of “chairman” • “community” instead of “brotherhood” • “manufactured” instead of “man-made” ______• “human family” instead of “family of man” ______
______
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Slide 9 Gender Definitions: ______What are Some Female Stereotypes? ______• Passive; Frightened; Weak; Gentle; Giving ______up easily; Unoriginal; Silly; Illogical; Shrewish; Nagging; Confused; Neat; Short; Inept; Dependent; Follower; Conformer; ______Controlling anger; Emotional; Playing or working indoors; Concerned about appearances; Has innate need for marriage ______and motherhood. ______
______
Slide 10 Gender Definitions: ______What are Some Male Stereotypes? ______• Active; Brave; Strong; Rough; Competitive; Inventive; Intelligent, Logical, Quiet, ______Easygoing, Decisive, Problem-Solving; Messy, Tall, Mechanical, Independent, ______Leader, Innovator, Expresses anger, Unemotional, Plays or works outdoors; Unconcerned about appearance, Craves ______adventure. ______
______
Slide 11 ______Stereotypes of Asian-Americans ______• Smiling, polite, and small; Bucktoothed and squinty-eyed, Mystical and wise; ______Exotic foreigner; Places no value on human life; Sexy, sweet, “China Doll” ______or “Dragon Lady,” Sinister; Sly ______
______
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Slide 12 ______Stereotypes of Afro-Americans ______• Athletic super jock; eye-rolling, shuffling, fearful, superstitious comic; ______smooth talking con man; super-stud; rough, dangerous criminal; exotic primitive; big-bosomed, bossy mother or ______maid – commander of the household; sexy temptress; the loudly-dressed, ______happy-go-lucky buffoon ______
______
Slide 13 ______Stereotypes of Latinos ______• Hard-working, poor, submissive, self- sacrificing religious mother of many; ______macho boaster and supreme commander of household; sexy, loud, firey young man or woman (frequently preferring ______whites); sombrero wearing, serape clad, sandaled worker taking a siesta near a ______donkey; teenage gang members; fringe (criminal) activities ______
______
Slide 14 ______Stereotypes of Native Americans ______• Hunter, tracker; noble child of nature; savage, bloodthirsty “native”; wise old ______chief; heavyset, workhorse “squaw”; “Indian princess” (depicted with European features and often in love with ______a white man for whom she is willing to sacrifice her life); stoic, loyal follower ______
______
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Slide 15 Stereotypes of Differently-Abled ______People ______• Evil, blind man with unnatural powers; village “idiot”; pitiful paraplegic; ugly ______“hunchback”; childlike dwarf; “insane” criminal; one-eyed pirate; “hunchbacked” old crone; blind witch; sexless sad ______creature; evil witch with a cane; self- pitying whiner; hard of hearing crank; ______pitiful little “cripple” ______
______
Slide 16 ______Standards for Success ______• Does it take “white” behavior to “get ahead” for minority persons? • In relationships between whites and people of ______color, who is doing most of the understanding and forgiving? ______• To gain acceptance and approval, do minorities have to demonstrate extraordinary qualities, such as excel in sports, get all A‟s, ______etc? ______
______
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APPENDIX I (continued)
IDENTIFICATION OF FAIRY TALES WITH BRIEF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF DISNEY ANIMATED FAIRY TALES POWER POINT SLIDE OUTLINE AND HANDOUT
Slide #1 IDENTIFICATION OF FAIRY TALES WITH BRIEF HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE OF DISNEY ANIMATED FAIRY TALES
Slide #2 What Are Fairy Tales?
Fairy tales are one of three types of Folk Tales:
Por quoi tales (stories that answer “why” or have a moral affiliated with them);
Tall tales (stories that communicate historical facts or idealized figures); and
FAIRY TALES are stories, which invariably contain magical elements and pit good against evil.
Slide #3 What are Folk Tales?
Folk tales are stories orally passed down from generation to generation and are modified as they are told to remain current in their contextual frame.
Folk tales are used as a tool to communicate cultural values from one generation to the next.
Slide #4 Fairy Tale Plots
The plots of fairy tales stem from common drives and aspirations of ordinary people
Magic often functions to lavish great rewards on heroes and heroines for goodness and/or steadfastness
Fairy tales are historically found in all cultures around the world
Slide #5 International Perspectives on Folk and Fairy Tales
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While folk and fairy tales are historically found in every culture, the original tales were location and cultural value- specific. Examples:
Scandinavian folk and fairy tales are very rich with tales of “gods” and Hans Christian
Anderson used tales to demystify pretension.
French folk and fairy tales were promoted by Charles Perrault who set his tales in glittery palaces and ballrooms
Slide #6 Settings in Folk and Fairy Tales
Briefly described, vague places, representing everywhere and nowhere, but often with particular associations
The forest is where one might be tested by sinister forces;
The country is where simple, but honest folk live;
The city is a place of sophistication, but where treacherous people might live
Slide #7 Common, Intercultural Perspectives on Setting
Western: “Once upon a time in a land far away”
Japanese: “Once long ago in the middle of the mountains”
Native American: “Many lifetimes ago, in the days of the Ancient Ones”
Arabic: “There was, and there was not, in the fullness of time”
Slide #8 Folk Tale Themes
Victim/hero – the protagonist is warned of an evil, does the deed anyway, falls victim to the snares, and is rescued
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Seeker/hero – the protagonist leaves home seeking assistance of some kind and falls prey to evil along the way. The hero comes along and, frequently through magic, rescues the seeker
Slide #9 Hero Cycles
Joseph Campbell (1975) identified a hero cycle embedded in most fairy tales:
Hero at home in the beginning of the tale; called to adventure; encounters tests; discovers helper(s); led to a land of adventure; endures a deathlike experience; meets a goddess (if male); frequently meets a stern father figure and seeks atonement; stealing or winning the boon that is needed at home; the flight and return
Slide #10 Purpose of Folk and Fairy Tales
Transmission of cultural values
Instructional
Political
Only adapted for children since the German Brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm published Nursery and Household Tales in 1812
Longstanding subject of dispute regarding use with children
Slide #11 Historical Perspective of the Disney Animated Fairy Tale
The first Disney Animated Fairy Tale was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The generation of secondary market products, together with the limitless shelf life if the animated fairy tale formed the foundation for the success of the Disney enterprise
Slide #12 What is the Disney Formula for Animated Fairy Tales?
Strict artistic and corporate protocol
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Consistent natural style (identifiable)
Richness of color and shading
Depth of background detail
Full musical scores
Consistent themes, narratives, and ideologies
Homogenized cultural nuances
Loss or absence of protagonist‟s mother introduced early in the story line
Slide #13 On The Nature of Animation
Animation, like illustration, evokes specific psychological responses and attitudes with color, shape, and size.
Animation is liberated from the restrictive dimension of physical laws and, with its symbolic personification of values and ideals, disarms resistance to fiction and fantasy, which merge easily within the medium.
Animation lends itself to exemption from literal truth in historical or natural settings, because we are gratified visually, viscerally, and psychologically through the presentation.
Slide #14 Listing of Disney Animated Fairy Tales
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Pinocchio (1940)
Cinderella (1950)
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Peter Pan (1953)
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Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Sword and the Stone (1963)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Black Cauldron (1985)
Little Mermaid (1989)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Aladdin (1992)
Lion King (1994)
Hercules (1997)
Mulan (1998)
Chronicles of Narnia (live action and animation) (2005)
Emperor‟s New Groove (2005)
Rapunzel Unbraided (2009)
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IDENTIFICATION OF FAIRY TALES WITH BRIEF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF DISNEY ANIMATED FAIRY TALES POWER POINT HANDOUT
Slide 1 ______IDENTIFICATION OF FAIRY TALES WITH BRIEF HISTORICAL ______PERSPECTIVE OF DISNEY ANIMATED FAIRY TALES ______
______
Slide 2 ______What Are Fairy Tales?
• Fairy tales are one of three types of Folk ______Tales: • Por quoi tales (stories that answer “why” ______or have a moral affiliated with them); • Tall tales (stories that communicate ______historical facts or idealized figures); and • FAIRY TALES are stories which invariably contain magical elements and ______pit good against evil. ______
______
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Slide 3 ______What are Folk Tales?
Folk tales are stories orally passed down ______from generation to generation and are modified as they are told to remain current ______in their contextual frame. ______Folk tales are used as a tool to communicate cultural values from one ______generation to the next. ______
______
Slide 4 ______Fairy Tale Plots ______• The plots of fairy tales stem from common drives and aspirations of ordinary people • Magic often functions to lavish great rewards ______on heroes and heroines for goodness and/or steadfastness ______• Fairy tales are historically found in all cultures around the world ______
______
Slide 5 International Perspectives on Folk and ______Fairy Tales ______• While folk and fairy tales are historically found in every culture, the original tales were location and cultural value- specific. ______Examples: • Scandinavian folk and fairy tales are very rich with tales of “gods” and Hans Christian ______Anderson used tales to demystify pretension. • French folk and fairy tales were promoted by Charles Perrault who set his tales in glittery ______palaces and ballrooms ______
______
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Slide 6 ______Settings in Folk and Fairy Tales ______• Briefly described, vague places, representing everywhere and nowhere, but often with particular associations ______• The forest is where one might be tested by sinister forces; ______• The country is where simple, but honest folk live; • The city is a place of sophistication, but where ______treacherous people might live ______
______
Slide 7 Common, Intercultural ______Perspectives on Setting ______• Western: “Once upon a time in a land far away” • Japanese: “Once long ago in the middle of the ______mountains” • Native American: “Many lifetimes ago, in the ______days of the Ancient Ones” • Arabic: “There was, and there was not, in the ______fullness of time” ______
______
Slide 8 ______Folk Tale Themes ______• Victim/hero – the protagonist is warned of an evil, does the deed anyway, falls victim to the snares, and is rescued ______• Seeker/hero – the protagonist leaves home seeking assistance of some kind and falls prey ______to evil along the way. The hero comes along and, frequently through magic, rescues the ______seeker ______
______
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Slide 9 ______Hero Cycles • Joseph Campbell (1968) identified a hero cycle ______embedded in most fairy tales: • Hero at home in the beginning of the tale; ______called to adventure; encounters tests; discovers helper(s); led to a land of adventure; endures a ______deathlike experience; meets a goddess (if male); frequently meets a stern father figure and seeks atonement; stealing or winning the ______boon that is needed at home; the flight and return ______
______
Slide 10 ______Purpose of Folk and Fairy Tales ______• Transmission of cultural values • Instructional • Political ______• Only adapted for children since the German Brothers Wilhelm and Jacob ______Grimm published Nursery and Household Tales in 1812 • Longstanding subject of dispute regarding ______use with children ______
______
Slide 11 Historical Perspective of the Disney ______Animated Fairy Tale ______• The first Disney Animated Fairy Tale was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ______(1937) • The generation of secondary market ______products, together with the limitless shelf life if the animated fairy tale formed the foundation for the success of the Disney ______enterprise ______
______
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Slide 12 What is the Disney Formula for ______Animated Fairy Tales? • Strict artistic and corporate protocol ______• Consistent natural style (identifiable) • Richness of color and shading ______• Depth of background detail • Full musical scores ______• Consistent themes, narratives, and ideologies • Homogenized cultural nuances • Loss or absence of protagonist‟s mother ______introduced early in the story line ______
______
Slide 13 ______On The Nature of Animation
• Animation, like illustration, evokes specific ______psychological responses and attitudes with color, shape, and size. ______• Animation is liberated from the restrictive dimension of physical laws and, with its symbolic personification of values and ideals, ______disarms resistance to fiction and fantasy, which merge easily within the medium. • Animation lends itself to exemption from ______literal truth in historical or natural settings, because we are gratified visually, viscerally, and psychologically through the presentation. ______
______
Slide 14 ______Listing of Disney Animated Fairy Tales • Snow White and the Seven • Little Mermaid (1989) ______Dwarfs (1937) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Pinocchio (1940) • Aladdin (1992) • Cinderella (1950) • Lion King (1994) ______• Alice in Wonderland (1951) • Hercules (1997) • Peter Pan (1953) • Mulan (1998) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • Chronicles of Narnia (live ______• Sword and the Stone (1963) action and animation) • Bedknobs and Broomsticks (2005) (1971) • Emperor‟s New Groove ______• Black Cauldron (1985) (2005) • Rapunzel Unbraided (2009) ______
______
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APPENDIX J Mickey Mouse Monopoly:* The Impact of Disney on Young Children Nancy Carlsson-Paige1 and Diane Levin2 ACTION STEPS: WITH CHILDREN Talk with children about what they‟ve seen and what they think about it Help children see through the messages about gender, race, culture and class in Disney movies Talk with children about toys and products and other objects of mass marketing Provide an anti-bias curriculum that promotes an appreciation of similarities and differences
WITH PARENTS Help parents understand the impact of media on children Help them learn to manage media in their children‟s lives in ways that work for their families Give parents tools for managing life in a consumer culture with children Help parents in your program develop dialogues with each other about how mass culture is affecting their families‟ lives Present a workshop for parents on the impact of media on children‟s development & behavior
WITH STAFF Talk as a staff about how media culture is affecting classroom life & strategies for responding. Keep informed about the popular new media and media linked products so you can connect with children about what is important in their lives
IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY Voice your concerns to legislators, newspapers and TV stations, and to the Disney Company and other companies that make or sell Disney products Disney Company Headquarters, Michael Eisner, President, 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521; (818) 560-1000; www.disney.com Disney Channel, 3800 W, Almeda Ave., Burbank, CA 91505; (818) 569-7897 Join advocacy organizations that are working to bring about change Lion & Lamb Project, 4300 Montgomery Ave, Ste. 104, Bethesda, MD. www.lionlamb.org TRUCE (Teachers to Resist Unhealthy Entertainment), PO Box 441261, Somerville, MA 02144; www.truceteachers.org Commercial Alert, www.essential.org/alert SCEC (Coalition to Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children). Media Center, Judge Baker Children‟s Center 3 Blackfin Circle, Boston, MA 02115; www.commercialexploitation.com
For More Information See: The Mouse That Roared: Disney & the End of Innocence, Henry Giroux. Lanham, MD: Rowman/Littlefield, 1999. Remote Control Childhood: Combating the Hazards of Media Culture, Diane Levin. Wash. DC, NAEYC, 1998.
MICKEY MOUSE MONOPOLY is available through the Media Education Foundation, Northampton, MA; www.mediaed.org
1 Lesley University, Cambridge, MA; [email protected] 2 Wheelock College, Boston, MA; [email protected]
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APPENDIX K SIX WEEK POST E-MAIL FOLLOW-UP
Hello!
Thank you once again for participating in the professional development module this
past September regarding Disney animated fairy tale media. To follow-up on the
efficacy of this professional development module, it would be appreciated if you
would respond to this e-mail with the answer to the following questions:
1. Did the professional development module regarding the research-based evidence
of the cultural and gender bias in Disney animated fairy tale media influence your
actual choice of media in preprimary early childhood classrooms?
2. Have your choices in other materials been influence by the experience of this
professional development module?
Your answers and identity will be kept strictly confidential. Please feel free to comment on any other thoughts you have regarding this training.
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN!
153
APPENDIX L
PILOT STUDY SURVEY
Please use the other side of this page if necessary.
1. Did you find the surveys to be straightforward and easy to use?
2. Did you find the content of the lecture on Piaget to be informative and relevant to the professional development module?
3. Did you find the content of the lecture on gender and cultural bias in early childhood materials informative and relevant to the professional development module?
4. Did you find the content of the lecture on how to identify Disney animated fairy tales to be informative and relevant to the professional development module?
5. Did you find the content of the film, Mickey Mouse Monopoly, to be informative and relevant to the professional development module?
6. Did you find that the experience of the focus group enhanced your experience of the professional development module? If so, how?
7. Is there anything you would add or subtract from this professional development module, and if so, why?
154
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