"All I see is what I know": Rural white fifth and sixth grade gifted students respond to African American picture books.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This research examined ways that rural white fifth and sixth grade gifted students responded to African American picture books. Eighteen students in a rural midwestern middle school were read nine picture books over nine weeks. The questions that guided this research were: (1) In what ways does multicultural children's literature influence students' perceptions of diversity? (2) What prior life experiences do students draw upon to explain their perceptions? (3) What kinds of biases and perceptions do the students currently bring to the discussions and where did these biases and perceptions originate? The eighteen students, nine females and nine males, in the study have been under the tutelage of the teacher-researcher for two to three years. Data sources were journal entries, pre-and post-interview questions, and audio taped group discussions. Student responses from all data sources are grouped into ten codes: triumph, equality, skin color, freedom, shame, lack of knowledge, religious beliefs, pity, judging others, and poverty. Media, religion, middle-class status, and rural schooling influenced the students' responses to the picture books. Implications for multicultural and anti-racist education are discussed.