Speaker
Description
Children’s literature has been used in attempt to mitigate bullying behaviors (Wee et al., 2022). Language socialization occurs through literature, both through the types of contextual messages conveyed and within how characters are portrayed. Given the socialization process salient to storytelling, it may be important to consider the messages presented within children’s literature and the impact of such messages. The current study examined the word usage presented in children’s picture books about bullying. Critical analyses of the language used in such books may provide information about the ways in which children’s literature shapes cultural values and beliefs, which can inform bullying prevention and intervention efforts.
The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program was used to evaluate transcripts of bully and victim characters from 69 books written in English. The language used by bully and victim characters differed in several significant ways related to specific emotion, insight, temporal focus, authenticity, analytical thinking, gendered language, and first-person centered pronoun usage. Given that linguistic styles convey psychological meaning (Tausczik & Pennebaker, 2010), these findings offer insight to the ways that children’s literature might shape children’s understanding and beliefs surrounding bullying. Findings urge caution in the selection of children’s literature for interventions, as language characteristics may convey meaning that may be counter to an intervention’s goals. Specifically, language usage may convey stereotypical information that not only socializes children to this information but also limits the ability of children to recognize more nuanced presentations of a bully or a victim.
Keywords
Bullying, preschool, story books
| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Quantitative method study |
|---|---|
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
