An Analysis of the Portrayals of Mothers in Children's Picturebooks in China.
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| Title: | An Analysis of the Portrayals of Mothers in Children's Picturebooks in China. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Wang, Yanqi1,2 (AUTHOR), Hu, Bi Ying3 (AUTHOR), Cheng, Xiulan1 (AUTHOR) chengxiulan@snnu.edu.cn, Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth4 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Early Childhood Education Journal. Oct2025, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p2489-2507. 19p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Mothers, *Picture books for children, *Cognitive development, *Content analysis, *Gender stereotypes, Illustration (Art), Social theory |
| Geographic Terms: | China |
| Abstract: | Picturebooks are a unique and complex art form that combines both visual and textual elements. Based on Kohlberg's Cognitive Development Theory and Social Gender Theory, young children's perceptions are likely influenced by portrayals of mothers in picturebooks. Therefore, this content analysis examined both the text and the visual portrayals of mothers in 53 bestselling picturebooks from China between 2019 and 2022, related to the portrayals of mothers. The results revealed a wide and diverse range of representations of the mother's role through both illustrations and text in these popular picturebooks, contributing to the replacement of persistent gender stereotypes. Illustrations revealed patterns related to anthromorphic characters in about 66% of analyzed books as well as patterns related to gendered clothing, accessories, and scene placements, such as the aprons or the kitchen. Additionally, themes of the Caring Mother, Intelligent Mother, All-powerful Supermom, and Defective Mother emerged through our analysis based on the text. Finally, aligned within the Chinese sociocultural context and with Social Gender Theory, the paper provides authors, illustrators, educators, teachers, and parents with recommendations for creating, selecting, and leveraging picturebooks to serve as positive portrayals of mothers for young readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Early Childhood Education Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 187863959 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: An Analysis of the Portrayals of Mothers in Children's Picturebooks in China. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wang%2C+Yanqi%22">Wang, Yanqi</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hu%2C+Bi+Ying%22">Hu, Bi Ying</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cheng%2C+Xiulan%22">Cheng, Xiulan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> chengxiulan@snnu.edu.cn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Roberts%2C+Sherron+Killingsworth%22">Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education+Journal%22">Early Childhood Education Journal</searchLink>. Oct2025, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p2489-2507. 19p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mothers%22">Mothers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Picture+books+for+children%22">Picture books for children</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+development%22">Cognitive development</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Content+analysis%22">Content analysis</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+stereotypes%22">Gender stereotypes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Illustration+%28Art%29%22">Illustration (Art)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+theory%22">Social theory</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Picturebooks are a unique and complex art form that combines both visual and textual elements. Based on Kohlberg's Cognitive Development Theory and Social Gender Theory, young children's perceptions are likely influenced by portrayals of mothers in picturebooks. Therefore, this content analysis examined both the text and the visual portrayals of mothers in 53 bestselling picturebooks from China between 2019 and 2022, related to the portrayals of mothers. The results revealed a wide and diverse range of representations of the mother's role through both illustrations and text in these popular picturebooks, contributing to the replacement of persistent gender stereotypes. Illustrations revealed patterns related to anthromorphic characters in about 66% of analyzed books as well as patterns related to gendered clothing, accessories, and scene placements, such as the aprons or the kitchen. Additionally, themes of the Caring Mother, Intelligent Mother, All-powerful Supermom, and Defective Mother emerged through our analysis based on the text. Finally, aligned within the Chinese sociocultural context and with Social Gender Theory, the paper provides authors, illustrators, educators, teachers, and parents with recommendations for creating, selecting, and leveraging picturebooks to serve as positive portrayals of mothers for young readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Early Childhood Education Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=187863959 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10643-024-01725-6 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 19 StartPage: 2489 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Mothers Type: general – SubjectFull: Picture books for children Type: general – SubjectFull: Cognitive development Type: general – SubjectFull: Content analysis Type: general – SubjectFull: Gender stereotypes Type: general – SubjectFull: Illustration (Art) Type: general – SubjectFull: Social theory Type: general – SubjectFull: China Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: An Analysis of the Portrayals of Mothers in Children's Picturebooks in China. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Wang, Yanqi – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hu, Bi Ying – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Cheng, Xiulan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 10 Text: Oct2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 10823301 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 53 – Type: issue Value: 7 Titles: – TitleFull: Early Childhood Education Journal Type: main |
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