| Children's literature has assumed a significant role in popular culture. Picture books often introduce children to an abundance of topics that they will encounter as they grow up. The representations in such books can become the basis of the construction of meaning made by young readers and those who share this genre with them. The representations in children's literature, especially picture books, thus have potential for great influence.;The purpose of this study was to examine representations of schooling found in the text and illustrations of contemporary picture books. I examined the children's collection of a small town public library, published in America between 1975--2000. These books are readily available to the general public. The books were analyzed through the theories of transaction, semiotics, and the cultural production of meaning. This thematic content analysis study addressed two basic questions: What are the representations of schooling in children's picture books, and What meanings about schooling are signified in those representations?;The theoretical framework was designed to explore the picture books through three levels of analysis. First, a denotative examination of text and illustrations listed descriptions through the semantic fields of teacher, student, furniture, materials, and environment. Second, a connotative interpretation categorized the findings of level one into Teacher-centered, Child-centered, and Hybrid models of education. The third level of analysis attempted to further interpret the data through specific of models of scientific management, humanist, child-centered, and social reconstruction.;The conclusions of this study indicate that representations of a teacher-centered approach to education are depicted in 60% of this sample of books. Moreover, 29% offer alternatives to traditional classrooms, and 11% present a mix of these models. This research considers the transactional role of reader and text to the construction of knowledge. It further considers that the perspectives of authors and illustrators, popular culture, and irony found in these books, are key influences to interpretation. Finally, this study suggests that while these books were not specifically designed or intended to be representative or interpreted as "real" schooling in America, they do, in fact, contribute to a cumulative cultural text of "doing school". |
