Graduate Research Papers
Availability
Graduate Research Paper (UNI Access Only)
Keywords
Women in literature; Agriculture in literature; Children's literature;
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze current children’s literature in which the subject is agriculture and determine whether it is accurate in its portrayal of females and their roles in the industry. The two questions I sought to answer were which books accurately portray females in agriculture, and what role do female characters play in children’s literature about agriculture? Utilizing two lists, the H.W. Wilson’s Children’s Core Collection and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Education recommended reading, I selected 33 for review. I chose the books because they portrayed people in agriculture. The literature selected was published in 2008 or later. Utilizing evaluation standards adapted from Kruse (2001), Chick (2002), and Filipović (2018), I determined whether the literature was stereotypical of farmers, what role females played in the literature, and what characteristics the females possessed in the books evaluated. 15 books (45.5%) contained some type of farming stereotype; one of these books contained a female main character. Overall, favorable qualities were given to females: 18 (54.5%) books contained an active female, 12 (36.4%) books contained a female who met a goal, 3 (9%) books contained a female who solved a problem, and 18 (54.5%) books contained a female whose occupation was evident. Only 1 (3%) book contained a passive female, and 3 (9%) books showed a female who was a care-taker.
Year of Submission
2019
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Department
Division of School Library Studies
First Advisor
Karla Krueger, Graduate Faculty First Reader
Date Original
2019
Object Description
1 PDF file (76 pages)
Copyright
©2019 Malinda Mick
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Mick, Malinda, "Portrayal of females in agriculturally themed children's books" (2019). Graduate Research Papers. 940.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/grp/940