Seeing Oneself: A Contextual Analysis of Diversity in Commonly Read Young Adult Literature
The purpose of this study is to observe the quality and variance of the representations of culturally and linguistically diverse populations within commonly read young adult literature. This study was conducted through the use of qualitative and quantitative contextual analysis methodologies, and consisted of a sample of nine commonly read young adult novels. The literature were analyzed through the theoretical lenses of critical race theory, the transactional theory of reading, and multicultural pedagogy. The literature were coded for representations of race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexuality, disability and illness, and socioeconomic status. These themes were then coded and analyzed based on varying emerging sub themes, such as tokenized race representations, the use of accents to represent language, and various other subthemes. The main findings included the frequency of the representations of the previously stated populations. Out of the 1,195 coded representation samples found within the literature, race was present in 48 samples, ethnicity in 128 samples, language in 149 samples, gender in 282 samples, sexuality in 279 samples, disability and/or illness in 201 samples, and socioeconomic status in 108. The quality of the samples were also analyzed, and are contained within this study. DIVERSITY IN COMMONLY READ YA LITERATURE 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my children, Gwendolyn and Jameson: Everything I do is for you. You two are my motivation to always be the best I can be. More than anything, I've done this for you. To Daniel: Thank you for always believing in me. No one else would have listened to my deranged ranting about various educational theories and how they applied to young adult literature. And thank you for always enthusiastically listening and participating in my insanity. You made this significantly more enjoyable, and I couldn't have done it without you. To my parents and sister: Thank you for being the support system that I always needed but didn't always deserve. To Dr. Susan Sturm: Thank you for being the light in the dark that led me to this moment. I never could have accomplished this without you. You have believed in me and supported me more than any other educator in my 26 years, and I appreciate your belief in me, wholeheartedly. To Dr. Anna Thibodeau: I was dropped in your lap, and you took me with no complaints. And you always believed in me and were always confident in my ability, more so than most would be in our given situation. For my luck of having you as an instructor, I can be nothing more than grateful. To Dean Christine Givner: Thank you for your continuing support and belief in your students. My course at Fredonia could have gone very differently, and because of you, it was as amazing as I always expected it to be. DIVERSITY IN COMMONLY READ YA LITERATURE 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .6 LIST OF FIGURES .7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 8 Statement of the Problem 8 Background..10 Definition of Terms. 15 Research Questions. 19 Significance and Implications. 19 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE..21 Theoretical Framework. 21 Critical Race Theory..22 Transactional Theory of Reading..24 Multicultural Education/Pedagogy..29 Literature Review..38 A Need for Young Adult Literature..39 Young Adult Literature Defined..40 YA Literature as a Genre..42 Multiculturalism in YA Literature..43 Diversity in YA Literature..44 Gap in the Research..66 Research Questions. 67 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY. 69 Introduction. 69 Research Design and Rationale..75 Samples..77 Procedures. 79 Data Collection..83 Data Analysis..83 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS..88 Introduction. 88 Theme One: Frequency of Representations of CLD Populations and Theoretical Ideologies in Textual Samples..88 Theme Two: Quality of Representations of CLD Populations in Textual Samples..99 Theme Three: Quality of Representations of Theoretical Ideologies in Textual Samples .130 Summary..135 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION..137 DIVERSITY IN COMMONLY READ YA LITERATURE 5 Introduction. 137 Significance..137 Limitations..139 Implications. 140 Conclusions. 168 REFERENCES. 169 APPENDICES..189 DIVERSITY IN COMMONLY READ YA LITERATURE 6 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Definitions of Relevant Terms. Table 2. Sampling Cross Analysis Sources. Table 3. Texts, Authors, and Publishing Dates of Study Sample. Table 4. Themes Coded During Third Reading. Table 5 Sticky Note Coding Definitions. Table 6 Identified Main Characters in Textual Samples Utilized in Study. DIVERSITY IN COMMONLY READ YA LITERATURE 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The Transactional Process of Reading. Figure 2. The Dimensions of Multicultural Education. Figure 3. Analysis of Representations of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Characters in YA Literature. Figure 4. The Process and Components of a Content Analysis. Figure 5. The Content Analysis Framework. Figure 6. Overall Frequency of CLD Population Representations in Sample Texts. Figure 7. Races of Main and Secondary Characters in Textual Samples. Figure 8. Ethnicities of Main and Secondary Characters in Sample Texts. Figure 9. Languages of Main and Secondary Characters in Textual Samples. Figure 10. Disparity Between Second Language Learners and Native Language Speakers. Figure 11. Use of Non English Words within Sample Texts. Figure 12. Gender of Main and Secondary Characters in Sample Texts. Figure 13. Sexual Identities of Main and Secondary Characters in Textual Samples. Figure 14. Disabilities and Illnesses of Main and Secondary Characters in Textual Samples. Figure 15. Socioeconomic Statuses of Main and Secondary Characters in Textual Samples. Figure 16. Frequency of Theoretical Ideology Codes in Textual Samples. DIVERSITY IN COMMONLY READ YA LITERATURE 8 Chapter One: Introduction According to the United States Census Bureau, the number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children in the U.S. has been increasing over time, with children of CLD backgrounds (non Hispanic white backgrounds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau) accounting for 50.2% of children under the age of 18 in the U.S. in 2014 (Department of Commerce, 2015) and this number is steadily growing. In opposition to this population growth, according to Lee Low Books (2016) the number of multicultural children's books between 1994 and 2006 have only accounted for 11% of children's books published, and Black, Latino, Hispanic, and Native American authors have accounted for less than six percent of the the children's books published in 2016. With with children's and young adult literature sales growing by 22.4% in 2014 (Stampler, 2014) the lack of CLD representation in children's and young adult literature is visible, leaving an unnecessary gap in the children's and young adult literature for and by culturally and