Including representative children's books in primary schools: A participatory action research study.
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| Title: | Including representative children's books in primary schools: A participatory action research study. |
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| Authors: | Capron, Helen (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Educational & Child Psychology. Jul2026, Vol. 43 Issue 1, p96-108. 13p. |
| Subjects: | Children's books, Primary schools, Academic motivation, Multicultural education, Community-based participatory research, Diversity in education, Student engagement |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| Abstract: | Aims: Research has found a great disparity between the number of pupils of primary age from a Global Majority background and the number of Global Majority characters they may encounter in books published in the UK (CLPE, 2024). This could impact on the extent to which they believe they are valued and belong at school, affecting their academic motivation and achievement. This study aims to find out what impact reading books which represent them has on the children who read them. Method/Rationale: In this participatory action research, eight teachers in a diverse primary school worked with a Trainee Educational Psychologist to increase their use of representative books in their classes. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis of focus groups with 18 children and interviews with eight teachers was carried out. Findings: Children were described as being able to make connections with the books in which they were represented which improved their engagement and motivation to read. There were also indications of benefits for children who were not represented in the books, as they had opportunities to learn about others through the texts. Limitations: The study was limited to one cycle of action research in one primary school over a short period of time. Data collection was remote due to Covid-19 restrictions. Conclusions: The use of representative texts in schools is an intervention which could be employed by schools to increase children's sense of belonging, increase respect and reduce discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Educational & Child Psychology is the property of British Psychological Society 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: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 1 |
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| Header | DbId: pbh DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection An: 195412312 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Including representative children's books in primary schools: A participatory action research study. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Capron%2C+Helen%22">Capron, Helen</searchLink> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Educational+%26+Child+Psychology%22">Educational & Child Psychology</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 43 Issue 1, p96-108. 13p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children's+books%22">Children's books</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Primary+schools%22">Primary schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+motivation%22">Academic motivation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multicultural+education%22">Multicultural education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community-based+participatory+research%22">Community-based participatory research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Diversity+in+education%22">Diversity in education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+engagement%22">Student engagement</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Aims: Research has found a great disparity between the number of pupils of primary age from a Global Majority background and the number of Global Majority characters they may encounter in books published in the UK (CLPE, 2024). This could impact on the extent to which they believe they are valued and belong at school, affecting their academic motivation and achievement. This study aims to find out what impact reading books which represent them has on the children who read them. Method/Rationale: In this participatory action research, eight teachers in a diverse primary school worked with a Trainee Educational Psychologist to increase their use of representative books in their classes. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis of focus groups with 18 children and interviews with eight teachers was carried out. Findings: Children were described as being able to make connections with the books in which they were represented which improved their engagement and motivation to read. There were also indications of benefits for children who were not represented in the books, as they had opportunities to learn about others through the texts. Limitations: The study was limited to one cycle of action research in one primary school over a short period of time. Data collection was remote due to Covid-19 restrictions. Conclusions: The use of representative texts in schools is an intervention which could be employed by schools to increase children's sense of belonging, increase respect and reduce discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Educational & Child Psychology is the property of British Psychological Society 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=pbh&AN=195412312 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.53841/bpsecp.2026.43.1.96 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 13 StartPage: 96 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Children's books Type: general – SubjectFull: Primary schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Academic motivation Type: general – SubjectFull: Multicultural education Type: general – SubjectFull: Community-based participatory research Type: general – SubjectFull: Diversity in education Type: general – SubjectFull: Student engagement Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Including representative children's books in primary schools: A participatory action research study. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Capron, Helen IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 07 Text: Jul2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 02671611 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 43 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Educational & Child Psychology Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
