Here is my annotated bibliography for my degree essay:
Emma J.
Horsfield
Critical and Cultural Studies
Module
code: 6FTC1035
Tutor: Alessandra Campoli
IDI /
University of Hertfordshire
Level 6: Degree Essay / Report:
Essay
title (subject to adaptation):
Discuss ways in which pictures in picturebooks
contribute to educational and emotional development: with a particular focus on
the wordless genre.
Annotated Bibliography
, 2013, Meaning-making from wordless (or
nearly wordless) picturebooks: what educational research expects and what
readers have to say [online]. Cambridge Journal of Education, 43
(2). Available at: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/76005/1/76005.pdf [Accessed 08 July 2016]
Senior lecturer Dr. Arizpe
investigates the universality of wordless picture books and their appeal to
multicultural, multigenerational and multi ability readers, with this overview
of research discussing young readers’ responses to wordless texts. Aiming to present a multi-disciplinary understanding
of meaning making and, targeting educational researchers, Arizpe shows the
benefits of this genre in language development and storytelling. Comparing educational research with reader
responses, Arizpe finds that after initial silent ‘reading’ of wordless
picturebooks, readers translate visual narratives into verbal ones, resulting
in more ‘active participation’ and inventiveness, with participants ‘reading’
texts multiple times if necessary for comprehensive understanding. The article therefore aids my research into why
wordless picturebooks aid educational development. In an article bringing together numerous
studies on the subject, Arizpe concludes that children should be left to enjoy
the silent unstructured space of the wordless picture book in the midst of a
word heavy classroom environment.
Colledge, M., 2005, Baby Bear or Mrs Bear? Young English
Bengali-speaking children's responses to narrative picture books at school [online].
Literacy, Volume
39, Issue 1, pages 24–30. Available
at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/10.1111/j.1741-4350.2005.00394.x/epdf [Accessed 12 July 2016]
Aiming to engage audiences in primary education
or research, Social Sciences and Humanities lecturer Marion Colledge considers why
picturebooks aid language development and cultural understanding in the
classroom setting. Her study focuses on
six emergent bilingual children and their responses to Western
picturebooks. Carried out over a period
of four weeks, the study highlights how readers participate in visual stories;
recognising traditions, gender roles and cultural differences in texts, and why
these affect reader interpretations. The
main limitation of the article is its focus on such a small age and cultural
group, so further research would arrive at a stronger conclusion. Colledge addresses why teachers should
consider stereotypes, dress and artistic style and their contribution to culturally
specific illustrations in picturebooks, and why these texts can be successfully
used as a cultural bridge between bilingual children and their new
surroundings. Results show children displaying emotional
connections to picturebooks, who clearly benefit emotionally and educationally from
discussing pictures; this will contribute to my work by adding a cultural angle
to explaining why picturebooks are an effective aid to emotional and
educational development in children, and also add to Louie and Sierschinski’s
(2015) study (cited below).
Doonan, J., 1993, Looking at Pictures in Picture Books. Glos: Thimble Press.
This book, written by
teacher and critic Jane Doonan examines the role and key qualities of pictures
in picture books; studying the importance of illustrating mood, emotion and
abstract notions as well as being reflective of society values. She argues that adults and children alike
benefit from the reading of picturebooks and that this activity aids aesthetic
development. Though not specific about
wordless picturebooks, this book is relevant in addressing in detail the
pictures in picturebooks; why they encourage emotional reaction and why line,
colour, perspective, scale and colour are so important, which also adds to
Salisbury and Styles’ (2012), and Evans’ (1998) writings (cited below). The book’s main limitation is Doonan’s
regular consideration of written narrative which isn’t relevant for my
research. A valuable resource for
teachers, several picturebook examples are examined within; exploring the power
of image with detailed analysis of new ways of looking at pictures. Similar in style to Graham’s study (cited
below), Doonan encourages classroom conversations about images to develop
emotional literacy in participants. All
aspects outlined are relevant to my work and its exploration of why pictures
work the way they do and whether they encourage emotional and educational
literacy.
Evans, J., 1998, What’s in the Picture? Responding to Illustrations in Picturebooks. London: SAGE.
Independent scholar and
lecturer in Education at Liverpool Hope University Janet Evans investigates the
role of pictures in early literacy, educational and emotional development, and
whether images expand thinking skills and appreciation of aesthetics. Viewing them as a valuable learning tool she
argues, as does Colledge (2005, cited above) that culture, gender, ethnicity
and social background all contribute to our understanding of images. Chapter 2 specifically focuses on wordless
picturebooks and explores how readers turn visual cues into verbal narratives, and
why illustrators use visual icons and techniques such as line, space, colour,
angles, close ups and long shots to engage readers and aid visual understanding
of texts. She also looks at the benefits
and drawbacks of the wordless narrative and why they are an effective tool for
visual communication. Aimed at education
professionals, Evans discusses why pictures in picturebooks contribute to educational
and emotional learning. This publication
is paramount to my essay theme and enhances studies outlined in Graham’s book
(cited below). This book’s main
limitation is the sample size for the experiments carried out, however it is
much more comprehensive than Graham’s, or Doonan’s (cited above) works.
Evans, J., 2015, Challenging and Controversial Picturebooks: Creative and Critical
Responses to Visual Texts.
Oxon: Routledge
Aimed at researchers
and education professionals, lecturer Janet Evans presents this collection of
studies performed by a number of experts, explaining findings taken from
various experiments conducted over several years working with both children and
adults. The studies focus on reactions
to challenging or controversial picturebooks (wordless being addressed in
chapter 9) and why they encourage discussion, empathy and deeper thinking with
the tackling of real issues such as death, war and immigration. The section on wordless picturebooks by
independent scholar Sandie Mourao explains why cultural frameworks influence
our interpretations of visual narrative; arguing that wordless picturebooks are
more challenging and engaging than their counterparts. Its limitation is the sample size of
participants: in this chapter three
groups of three 8 /9 year olds are examined, concluding that children’s own
experiences framed within their culture aid interpretation. However, the book is unique and comprehensive
in analysis and offers a variety of angles of study on my theme; focussing on
both emotional and educational development highlighted in its participants.
Galda, L., & Short, K., 1993, Visual Literacy: Exploring Art and Illustration
in Children’s Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, March 1993, Vol: 46,
Issue 6, pp 506-516. Available at: http://ud7ed2gm9k.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Children%27s+Books%3A+Visual+Literacy%3A+Exploring+Art+and+Illustration+in+Children%27s+Books&rft.jtitle=The+Reading+Teacher&rft.au=Lee+Galda&rft.au=Kathy+G.+Short&rft.date=1993-03-01&rft.pub=International+Reading+Association&rft.issn=0034-0561&rft.eissn=1936-2714&rft.volume=46&rft.issue=6&rft.spage=506&rft.epage=516&rft.externalDocID=20201117¶mdict=en-UK [Accessed 12 July 2016]
Retired professor of Children’s
Literature Galda and Professor of Language Arts Short, collaborate on this
exploration into illustration in children’s books; considering whether images
assist children in learning about the world.
Targeting those working within primary education, the work studies three
levels of book illustration, one being picturebooks. This section is relevant to my studies as the
authors highlight why critical thinking and communication skills develop while
interpreting pictures, and expand children’s visual literacy. The article discusses numerous picture book
texts and why their illustrations use line, colour and medium to create visual
stimulation and understanding of the story, which expands on Doonan’s (1993)
Arizpe and Styles’ (2005) studies, cited above.
Though examples studied are not necessarily wordless, analysis of written
text does not form part of the study.
The article could add depth to my argument about why images and aspects
of images help to enhance emotional learning; with its descriptive content
possibly limiting the quality information it offers.
Graham, J., 1990, Pictures on the Page.
Sheffield: NATE.
As do Arizpe and
Styles (2005, cited above), former senior lecturer Judith Graham considers to
what extent children’s literacy learning is aided by the use of pictures in
picturebooks, and links children’s literature with theories of literacy. Graham argues that using visual
representations aid literacy development, and that contribution of illustration
to learning is seriously underestimated.
Addressing that illustrators use visual language techniques, metaphors
and symbolism to communicate to readers, she also addresses reader responses to
these stimuli. Covering a variety of
picturebook examples, including ‘The Snowman’, a wordless example by Raymond
Briggs, she investigates why illustrations contribute to emotional and
educational development; concluding that early experiences of picturebooks
shape how readers engage with and use literature thereafter. Considering my area of study Graham highlights
throughout the publication why numerous aspects of picturebook illustration
contribute to emotional and educational development, though written 26 years ago
means wordless picturebooks for study were very limited and more contemporary
picturebooks should be considered additionally.
Louie, B., & Siershinski, J., 2015, Enhancing English Learners' Language
Development Using Wordless Picture Books [online]. The Reading Teacher,
Vol: 69, issue 1, July / August 2015, pp 103-111. Available at: http://ud7ed2gm9k.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Enhancing+English+Learners%27+Language+Development+Using+Wordless+Picture+Books&rft.jtitle=The+Reading+Teacher&rft.au=Louie%2C+Belinda&rft.au=Sierschynski%2C+Jarek&rft.date=2015-07-01&rft.issn=0034-0561&rft.eissn=1936-2714&rft.volume=69&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=103&rft.epage=111&rft_id=info:doi/10.1002%2Ftrtr.1376&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=10_1002_trtr_1376¶mdict=en-UK [Accessed 12 July 2016]
Aiming to provide
teachers with a deeper understanding of the role of wordless picturebooks in
English language and literacy development, Professor of Education Louie and
assistant Professor Siershinski, examine multiple layers of meaning contained
in a variety of wordless picturebook titles.
They examine why learners at different levels of language proficiency
benefit from using this book genre (resulting in simple labelling to more
complex sentence construction). This
article contributes to the educational aspect of my research examining the
benefits to speakers whose first language is not English, and thus expanding
upon the article by Colledge (cited above).
When combining the oral and written aspects of language, this article
concludes from research and classroom based studies, that wordless picture
books do aid language development. This
is encouraged by discussion of visual text and desire to aid peer understanding
in social interaction, which enhances the enjoyment of reading. The article is restricted to studies on
children and it would be interesting to see a similar study performed on adult
English learners. However the article adds
additional dimension to my research into educational and emotional development
by examining outcomes and reactions from the perspective of speakers of another
language and of a different cultural background.
Lysaker, J., Hopper, G., 2015, A Kindergartner's Emergent Strategy Use
during Wordless Picture Book Reading [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 68, pages 649–657.
Available at: http://ud7ed2gm9k.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=A+Kindergartner%27s+Emergent+Strategy+Use+During+Wordless+Picture+Book+Reading&rft.jtitle=The+Reading+Teacher&rft.au=Lysaker%2C+Judith&rft.au=Hopper%2C+Elizabeth&rft.date=2015-05-01&rft.pub=Wiley+Subscription+Services%2C+Inc&rft.issn=0034-0561&rft.eissn=1936-2714&rft.volume=68&rft.issue=8&rft.spage=649&rft_id=info:doi/10.1002%2Ftrtr.1352&rft.externalDBID=BKMMT&rft.externalDocID=411319224¶mdict=en-UK [Accessed 12 July 2016]
Focussing on
preschool children, the authors, Associate Professor Lysaker and doctoral
student Hopper of Purdue University, examine how wordless picturebooks aid
meaning making in young children prior to reading books with print. The article describes children using a system
of searching, cross checking, self correction and re-reading as a means to
support meaning making. Where words aren’t available children draw more greatly
on previous experience to construct meaning and fill in gaps not answered by a
written narrative (highlighted in their student case study). Concluding, the authors suggest that emergent
reading strategies are built upon with the employment of wordless picture books,
and preceding the introduction of print, provide a firm basis for reading
development. Building upon what the
authors already know the study is of one child’s reaction to ‘I Had Measles’
(also used in Lysaker and Miller’s study, 2013, cited below), which is the main
limitation. However these two articles
enhance my research on the effect of wordless picturebooks in early educational
development.
Engaging social imagination: The developmental work of wordless
book reading [online]. Journal of Early
Childhood Literacy, June
2013 vol. 13 no. 2 147-174. Available at:
http://ecl.sagepub.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/content/13/2/147.full.pdf+html
[Accessed
12 July 2016]
Professor of Literacy
and Language Lysaker, and Professor Miller present a detailed analysis on one
second grade student, using the wordless picture book ‘I Had Measles’ (also
studied in Lysaker and Hopper, 2015, cited above). Aimed primarily at those working within early
years education, the study details student narrative descriptions of the visual
story, with analysis being made of the students’ empathic responses to
circumstances in the book (twenty instances of the student displaying
understanding of characters’ feelings and thoughts were recorded). A single case study, it offers detailed
analysis into how social imagination develops, but a wider study could be
performed using more students over a longer period of time, as well as analysis
of the accuracy of the reader’s interpretation of the text which was not done
here. Conclusively, social imagination
and the reading of wordless picture books is a reciprocal process and useful in
the development of emotional understanding, which contributes relevant material
to my report.
Nikolajeva, M., 2013, Picturebooks
and Emotional Literacy [online].The Reading Teacher, Vol: 67, Issue 4, December
2013 / January 2014, pp. 249-254. Available
at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/10.1002/trtr.1229/epdf [Accessed 12 July 2016]
Emotional
literacy is an area of education largely ignored says Nikolajeva, Professor of
Education at University of Cambridge.
Her article examines why important life skills such as learning empathy
develop by examining how images in picture books connect emotionally to the
reader in ways written narrative cannot do.
She looks at the ways visual language is used to communicate emotion and
why a child initially recognises these icons in order to form a mental and
emotional understanding of character’s feelings. The article looks at how children perceive
character emotions from illustrations, why they relate to them and how it makes
them feel. In conclusion, western
culture presents picture books (which develop interpersonal communication), as
being only for young children, and thus written text is given priority which can
be detrimental to childhood emotional learning.
Although not only focussing on wordless picture books, this article
provides a deeper understanding of the way children read images and why it
impacts upon their emotional development which is important to my
investigation.
Salisbury, M., Styles, M., 2012, Children’s
Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling.
London: Lawrence King Publishing.
Written and compiled
by university Professors Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles this comprehensive
book examines what goes into creating a successful picture book and why they
appeal to readers of all ages. A wide
variety of books are studied throughout and Chapter 4 focuses on the wordless
genre. Targeting teachers, illustrators
and students alike, the authors argue that challenging picturebooks aid
imaginative development as the reader must create the text for themselves. Rather than being simple and aimed at young
children, they can be incredibly complex and sophisticated; tackling serious
issues such as loss and grief, and thus contributing to emotional
development. Other areas covered
relevant to my study include looking at visual metaphors, defining visual
literacy, visual texts, educational development, exploring relationships, body
language, colour and learning seeing and thinking skills. Its main limitation is its general approach
to picturebooks but Chapter 5: Suitable
for Children? also looks at cross-over books and taboo subjects, bearing
relevance to my theme in terms of studying emotional literacy and providing
introduction to the theme of challenge and controversy as explained by Evans,
2015 (cited above).
Serafini, F., 2014, Exploring
Wordless Picture Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 68, Issue 1,
September 2014, pp. 24-26. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/10.1002/trtr.1294/epdf
[Accessed 12 July 2016]
Making sense of
the world begins with making sense of visual information, argues Serafini, Professor
of Literacy Education at Arizona State University. Aimed at educational professionals, the
article discusses the universality of wordless picture books and why they
should be considered by what they ‘do’ contain, rather than what they ‘don’t’
(i.e. words). Wordless picturebooks
demand sequential thinking, storytelling, empathy and keen observation in order
to create a narrative so helps to nurture these skills in readers. They are also useful in addressing social
issues usually reserved for older children, which clearly presents a challenge
and basis for developing emotional literacy in younger children. Mainly limited by its concise analysis, it
still presents some useful arguments relevant to my essay. Citing Arizpe and others, Serafini concludes
that wordless picturebooks encourage the use of imagination to decode images as
opposed to literal understanding of words, and thus contribute to educational
and emotional development; my area of study.
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