“Not Just For Us Nerds”: Examining Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives of Contemporary Children’s Nonfiction

Abstract

Children’s nonfiction once had a reputation as a lackluster genre. However, the nonfiction books published today are noteworthy for their appeal and quality. This study’s purpose was to examine contemporary teachers’ perceptions of recent children’s nonfiction. Fourteen elementary teachers shared their opinions of contemporary nonfiction for children in written reflections, which were inductively analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The teachers addressed the following themes in their reflections: 1) presentation of the books, 2) the potential of books to support elementary readers, and 3) ways books could support learning opportunities. The findings indicate these teachers had a positive response to contemporary nonfiction, but they suggest there is still work to be done to ensure elementary students’ access to a diverse array of nonfiction books.

Investigating primary pre-service teachers' perceptions of nonfiction picturebooks

“…The inclination toward traditional models from their primary education seems to prevail, rather than fully incorporating the knowledge gained during their university training into their prospective teaching approaches. Consequently, it is pertinent to propose that university training endeavors to reconstruct the pre-existing belief systems of teachers, considering the pedagogical advantages of these materials widely acknowledged by researchers, as indicated by Hartsfield (2021) and Romero et al (2021).…”

“…Within this framework, there is an emphasis on the significance of teachers cultivating confidence in the selection and integration of these materials into their educational settings. Furthermore, the continuation of postgraduate education among active teachers is recommended, involving ongoing training courses that incorporate nonfiction picturebooks (Hartsfield, 2021). This educational approach aims to empower teachers to apply their acquired knowledge consistently in their classrooms, effectively mitigating the existing imbalance between the prevalence of fiction and nonfiction readings.…”

“…One of these studies was conducted by Hartsfield (2021), who employed qualitative methods to investigate teachers' perspectives on nonfiction picturebooks and literacy. The research focused on a sample of 14 active American elementary school teachers, each possessing more than 10 years of teaching experience, at the conclusion of the 2018-2019 academic year.…”

“…Teachers expressed enjoyment in reading these materials and conveyed enthusiasm for the selected corpus, particularly appreciating its aesthetic value. However, the study identified a need to address the imbalance between fiction and nonfiction readings in elementary school classrooms, because some teachers exhibited tendencies toward self-censorship or preventive censorship, particularly concerning controversial topics present in these books (Hartsfield, 2021).…”

Exploring silent, small-group and adult mediated reading with nonfiction picturebooks: children's responses and educational potential in elementary school.

“…On the other hand, studies such as that of Hartsfield (2021) and Romero, Trigo & Heredia (2021) focus on the place of the mediator in the reading of children's nonfiction books, analyzing their beliefs and attitudes with practicing teachers (Hartsfield, 2021;Romero, Trigo & Heredia, 2021) and teachers in training (Romero, Trigo & Heredia, 2021). As the main finding of these qualitative studies, the participants found numerous advantages derived from reading nonfiction books in the classroom: positive opinions on the part of teachers about the new nonfiction books, the possibility of shared teacher-student reading, and their usefulness in both linguistic and non-linguistic areas.…”