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DCCO4Eln DEMME ED 033 S2E TE 001 556 MIME Gast, Eavid K. TITLE Minority Americans in Children's Literature. Put Late Jan E7 Ncte 13p. Journal Cit Elementary English; v44 n1 p12-23 Jan 1967 EDRS Price EBBS Price MF-S0.25 HC -$0.75 DescriEtcrs American Indians, *Childrens Eccks, Chinese Americans, Cultural Images, Cultural Traits, Discriminatory Attitudes (Social), Ethnic Groups, *Ethnic Stereotypes, Japanese Americans, Majority Attitudes, *Minority Grcups, Negroes, Racial Discriminaticn, Religious Discrimination, *Social Discrimination, *Scciccultural Patterns, Spanish Americans, Textbook Bias Abstract Children's ficticn written tetimen 1945 and 1962 was analyzed for current stereotypes cf minority Americans, and the results were compared with related studies of adult fiction and school textbocks. Iwo analytic instruments were applied tc 114 incrity characters selected from 42 children's books about American Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Negroes, and Spanish Americans currently living in the United States. In this sampling, virtually no negative stereotypes cf incrity Americans were fcund; the differences in race, creed, and custcms of incrity citizens were fcund tc be dignified far acre than in either adult magazine fiction cr textbcoks; and similarities in bhavicr, attitudes, and values between ajcrity and incrity Americans were emphasized rather than their differences. (Reccmmendations for acticn tc be taken on the basis cf the results, proposals for further experimental study, and a table ranking the verbal stereotypes of the 114 minority American characters are included.) (JE) Tom'oo 556 041101irt 1/I ffEreplirEtttEilifirliii111I ED033928t trrrn aaa za a ate 2M-4 43 2 4IFflikilliffqqq141011Ifiliiiiigu Ph;WIN[Ohl 94iihiPi frOfin111PgI° VIIillIII'riotItiii11 lo;111t01iili;fr irtili@Rigt rit 1 !art la ImeO I.S. KM'S * NAM. MEM I MUNI OF MAHN MIS10011011 IMS INN 1111111E11 EUCTIV IS IKOVII HON ME PIM N 0161111111101 010.1111 W. MIMS OF MEW Of 01111015 MON 111 NICESSAMIT MEW 0111011 OffICE Of WAN DAVID K. CAST 011001 01 POUEV Minority Americans in Children's Literature IntroThe dominant culture, nor has it effectuated, social and economic integration ofthrough its academic portrayal of minority minority peoples in Ainerica has been aAmericans, a social conscience on the part slow process ever since the first colonistsof the majority American. Studies of past took land from the native Americans. Butand present teaching materials have shown it has been especially slow for Americanthat the American of minority race,- creed, citizensof American Indian,Chinese,or color, has not been given fair representa- Japanese, African, and Spanish descent,tion in school textbooks.' The role of the who, by virtue of their racial, religious,minority American in the development of and other ethnic characteristics, have beenour country has largely been neglected. largely excluded from the mainstream ofWhen he does appear in textbooks, the dominant culture in the United States. minority American is stereotyped. Socialscientistsof the present day But textbooks are not the only teaching generally agree that there are no inherentmaterials that convey. concepts of inter- cultural predispositions or traib amonggroup relations to school-age children. One people of different facia or geographicalsource of such learning has been children's areas, but that man is a product of hisliterature. Yet very few studies have been cultural environment The shaping of thisdesigned to analyze the images of minority product begins at birth. Children literallygroups as presented to children in fictional Inam what they live." They learn prejudiceliterature. The limited research which has against, and intolerance of, people whobeen done has shown that minority peoples areracially,religiously, and culturallyhave been stereotyped and that stereotypes different from themselves. In turn, theare perpetuated in the face of the changing objects of prejudice internalize the self-reality of social fact. The need fora debasing concepts that are held of thancurrent investigation into the nature of in the mirror of the majority. The sourcecharacterizations of minority Americans in of these learning: can be traced to parentscontemporary children's literature has been and other adults, peers, man and minordearly indicated in previous studies.' The media, and teething materials. The Ameri- lAmeeicen Council on Education, Committee en can public school, functioning as a socialthe Study of Teaching Metal* in Intergroup sorting and screening device with Protes-Relations, ltdagrowpMalmoin ?wake Ms- Wathingtoo, D. C.: Arredcan Council en tant, white, middle-clan bias, has notEducation, 1949 Loyd A. Marcus, The Trutmrnt always facilitated integration of the minor-ofMiwwitise in Sowxwiwg Stood re:abode. New ity American into the mainstream ofUlu Asti-Dslamatios Leave of rod Irdth, 1911; Abraham Tmenbause, Vim* Living k Team& Towle Frogrados lawaNwa, 31 Dr. Cast L em Mirka halm of lehmation,(Muds, 1004). 133-40, MM. Son Dire ask Collsos, Imiudd Vas, QualmAmsdess Condi as Edmatios, "Co mitsse as 12 MINORITY AUIIMMUCANS EN OHILDMIEWS IMERAWINE 13 purpose of the present study* has been The Population to fill this need. The population of the study was defined as all children's fiction in book form about The Problem present-day (1945-1982) American Indians, The problem of this investigation con-Chinese, Japanese, Negroes, and Spanish- sisted of an analysis of characterizationsAmericans, first published between 1945 of minority group Americans as presentedand 1962 for kindergarten through eighth- in contemporary children's literature. An-grade reading levels and noted in one or swers were soughtforthefollowingmore of the following guides: H. W. Wil- questions: (1) What are the characteristicsson Company's Children's Catalog, tenth of and concepts about present-day Amen edition,1961, and the 1982 and 1963 can Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Negroes,supplements to the tenth edition; The and Spanish-Americans in contemporaryAmerican Library Association's A Basic children's fiction? (2) What are the identi-Book Collection for Elementary Grades and fiablestereotypes imputed to minorityA Basic Book Collection for Junior High Americans in the literature? (3) How doesSchools,both publishedin1960;the treatment of minority Americans in con-American Library Association'sSubject temporarychildren'sfictionalliteratureIndex to Books for Primary Grades, second compare with that in related studies ofedition, 1961, and Subject Index to Books aduk magazine fiction and school instruc-for Intermediate Grades, second and third tional materials? editions, 1950 and 1963 respectively. Three hypotheses were established for Books included in the study were identi- the study: (1) Stereotypes of Americanfied by one or more of the following Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Negroes, andfactors in the listings: (1) book title and Spanish-Americans are not found in chil-bibliographical data; (2) Sears Subject dren's literature. (2) Treatment of minorityIndex heading; (3) grade reading level; Americans in recent literature dignifies theand (4) resume or review of the book. differences in race, creed, and custom ofThis technique insured inclusion of books minority peoples. (3) Treatment of minorityexhibiting most of the necessary character- Americans in recent literature emphasizesistics. Four required definitions of the 'similarities rather than differences amongpopulation that could not always be identi- minority and majority Americans withfied in the listings were: (1) contempor- regard to behavior patterns, attitudes, andaneousness of the story; (2) a continental values. United States setting; (3) minority characters of U.S. citizenship; and (4) minority Intergroup Education in Cooperating Schoch,Americans in significant roles in the story. Hilda Taba, director, Literature for Hamm Under- standing. Washington, D. C.: American Councilon Afteraninitialselection,forty -taro 1L9a48m,p. ie m"Aonloaglysis books met the criteria established for the oE bLvitie; raMtuarrefrLom aSo l Point of View (Parts One and Two)," unpublishedpopulation and were analyzed asa total doctoral dim:dation, University of Buffalo, Raab,sample. New York, 1958, as reported in Dissertation Ab- stracts, 19 (June, 1959) 3308. The Method ;This paper is based on the writer's doctoral dissertation: David [ad Cu t, "Characteristics and To obtain the characterizations, concepts, Concepts of Minority Americans is simyand stereotypes in children'sliterature Childron's Ming Literstme," mop doctoral dissertMbn, Adams Rote UNIvanIty, Timmdealing with contemporary American mi- Arbor, jute, 1985. norities,theinvestigatordevisedtwo 14 ELEMENTARY ENGLISH analytic instruments based on the Berelsonand implicit concepts in the storiescon- and Salter technique.* The Katz and Bra lystituted "How It Is Said" categories" List of Verbal Stereotypes* was alsoem- There was an a priori definition and ployed as a measure of stereotyping. Thesedelimitationof terms with respectto instruments were applied to the literaturedescriptions in the various categories of by three coders and the investigator.* characteristics given to the coders. A brief The analytic operations took two forms,analysis preceded the study to discover based on two units of analysis definedthe need for further definitions and refine- by Berelson as the 'character" and thements of terms and agreement among the "item." The firstunit of analysis, ancoders in regard to the categories of example of 'character" analysis, dealt

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