Teachers as Zookeepers? How Picture Books Describe Classroom Management

Abstract

Engaging the lens of classroom management, this research explores how teachers have been represented in children’s picture books as classroom managers. Picture books from the A-Zoo 7th Edition (2005) serve as a foundational data set to explore how the personification of teachers and the reality of the teaching experience are mirrored over time. Charteris’s heuristic of epistemological shudders (2014) —identifying a paradox which opens up possibilities for meaning making—was utilized alongside Krippendorff’s (1989) content analysis framework. Findings inform how the representation of teachers has portrayed a postmodern, deconstructive worldview regarding classroom management and professional representation, inviting further study into society’s ongoing perceptions of the teacher.

Depictions of teachers and teacher practices in picture books about starting kindergarten

“…Researchers have also explored various aspects of the instructional environment teacher characters present to children, including how children’s literature depicts teachers’ classroom management skills (Belcher et al., 2019; Gemma, 2001; Sandefur and Moore, 2004), the varying roles teachers take in the classroom (Dockett et al., 2010; Gemma, 2001; Triplett and Ash, 2000), and the educational philosophy implemented by teachers (Cutler and Slicker, 2020; Dockett et al., 2010; Phillips and Sturm, 2013; Sandefur and Moore, 2004). Research regarding instructional environments in children’s books reveals an overall pattern in which teachers are shown as frazzled, tired, exasperated, and as being incapable of effectively managing classroom behavior (Belcher et al., 2019; Dockett et al., 2010; Sandefur and Moore, 2004).…”

“…Finally, Belcher et al. (2019) recently examined the portrayal of teachers’ classroom management strategies in their content analysis of 39 children’s picture books featuring a teacher character.…”

“…Finally, Belcher et al (2019) recently examined the portrayal of teachers' classroom management strategies in their content analysis of 39 children's picture books featuring a teacher character. Results show most teachers are portrayed as stressed out, unable to effectively manage students' behavior, and as insignificant members of the classroom environment.…”

“…Following previous research investigating teacher portrayals in children's literature (Belcher et al, 2019;Dockett et al, 2010;Niemi et al, 2014;Phillips and Sturm, 2013) we examine the ways in which teachers are represented in books specifically about starting kindergarten. Using a CMA framework (Botelho and Rudman, 2009;Botelho et al, 2014), this study was conducted to closely investigate representations of kindergarten teachers by asking the following questions:…”

“…Researchers have explored gender portrayals (Berry and Wilkins, 2017; Cutler and Slicker, 2020; Hamilton et al., 2006), race and ethnicity representation (Bishop, 1990; Martínez-Roldán, 2013; Rodriguez and Kim, 2018; Skrlac Lo, 2019), and disability depictions (Dyches and Prater, 2005; Kleekamp and Zapata, 2019; Leininger et al., 2010) in children’s picture books. The images of school settings, including teacher characters, in children’s books has also been addressed (Belcher et al., 2019; Marshall, 2016; Niemi et al., 2014), although few studies have focused specifically on kindergarten teachers, nor have they investigated the race, ethnicity, gender, and dis/ability status of teachers in relation to that of the depicted students.…”