Racial ethnic & religious identity development: A children's book on the Zoroastrian religion

The purpose of this study was to design a children's book on the Zoroastrian religion with contemporary illustrations and stories with which Zoroastrian youth could identify. The literature on ethnic and religious identity development was utilized to inform the researcher in developing a developmentally appropriate children's book on Zoroastrianism. This psycho-educational book was intended for late elementary school to middle school aged children between 9 and 13 years old. Seven stories were written and paired with illustrations that portrayed Zoroastrian traditions, values, beliefs and history. A Zoroastrian Journey was sent to fifty nine individuals living in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the United States. The selected participants included Zoroastrian children and adults as well as Zoroastrian priests, who were considered to be scholars on the religion. Participant's read the first draft of A Zoroastrian Journey and anonymously completed a demographic questionnaire and feedback form on the content of the stories, the illustrations, and the accuracy of the information presented on the Zoroastrian religion. Data was analyzed by calculating the means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages of participants' responses. A content analysis was used to analyze the participant's responses to the final question on the feedback form. The researcher used the feedback provided to determine how to improve the book so that the final draft is as effective as possible in teaching youth about the Zoroastrian religion. Implications of participants feedback is examined thoroughly in the discussion section. Both adult and child participants felt strongly that A Zoroastrian Journey would be helpful for Zoroastrian youth in learning about the Zoroastrian religion. By reading A Zoroastrian Journey a child will be able to gain knowledge about the Parsi race and Zoroastrian religion, and use that information to make identity-related decisions about themselves. Participants feedback helped to establish that A Zoroastrian Journey was successful in providing youth with the knowledge and understanding that is fundamental to exploring and developing their Parsi Zoroastrian identity.