A case study of general education teacher use of picture books to support inclusive practice in the primary grades of an inclusive elementary school

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Carol Mason Bland (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
William Bursuck

Abstract: Scholars advocate the use of children's literature to help build awareness, understanding, and acceptance of disability in elementary school classrooms. Moreover, children's literature has been used as a component of disability awareness studies seeking to improve relationships between students with disabilities and their typically developing peers. Despite this interest in the potential for children's literature to positively impact connections between children with and without disabilities, there is a lack of empirical data describing general education teacher use of children's literature to support inclusive practice. This study was conducted to fill this gap in the professional literature. General education teachers in Pre-K through Grade 3 classrooms (n=10) in an inclusive elementary school were interviewed to understand their views about school culture and climate, strategies for reading aloud, and knowledge of inclusive picture books, the format of children's literature most often read aloud in the primary grades. The results of the study suggested that teachers are trained to use interactive read -aloud practices but have little knowledge about picture books that feature characters with disabilities. Implications for practice include professional preparation of pre-service teachers and in-service professional development for practicing teachers regarding guidelines for selecting inclusive pictures books and how these books can be integrated into routine classroom read alouds.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2013
Keywords
Characters with disabilities, Inclusive practice, Picture books, Read Aloud
Subjects
Inclusive education $z United States
Children with disabilities $x Education (Early childhood) $z United States
Reading (Early childhood) $z United States

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