Graduate Research Papers
Availability
Open Access Graduate Research Paper
Keywords
Emigration and immigration in literature; Children's literature;
Abstract
With an increasing awareness of immigrant students in American schools, this study sought to examine current upper elementary fiction portraying immigrant characters. The purpose of this research was to discover how immigrants are currently portrayed in upper elementary literature. Through engaging with high-quality literature, native-born students could gain a perspective on the experiences of their immigrant classmates and develop empathy for them. Nine upper elementary fiction books were examined and coded for initial and emerging themes. Four major themes emerged: Importance of Family, Language Conflict, Life After Immigration, and Identity Development. This research supports classroom teachers and teacher librarians in their quest to obtain high-quality literature to develop empathy for immigrant students.
Year of Submission
5-2020
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Department
Division of School Library Studies
First Advisor
Joan Bessman Taylor, Graduate Faculty First Reader
Date Original
5-2020
Object Description
1 PDF file (42 pages)
Copyright
©2020 Melissa N. Marwedel
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Marwedel, Melissa N., "Portrayal of immigration in fiction for grades 4-6" (2020). Graduate Research Papers. 1406.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/grp/1406
