“Not Just For Us Nerds”: Examining Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives of Contemporary Children’s Nonfiction

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.1786

Keywords:

Children's literature, Nonfiction, Teacher perspectives, Elementary students

Abstract

Children’s nonfiction once had a reputation as a lackluster genre. However, the nonfiction books published today are noteworthy for their appeal and quality. This study’s purpose was to examine contemporary teachers’ perceptions of recent children’s nonfiction. Fourteen elementary teachers shared their opinions of contemporary nonfiction for children in written reflections, which were inductively analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The teachers addressed the following themes in their reflections: 1) presentation of the books, 2) the potential of books to support elementary readers, and 3) ways books could support learning opportunities. The findings indicate these teachers had a positive response to contemporary nonfiction, but they suggest there is still work to be done to ensure elementary students’ access to a diverse array of nonfiction books.

Author Biography

Danielle E. Hartsfield, University of North Georgia

Danielle E. Hartsfield is assistant professor in the Department of Elementary and Special Education at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega.

References

Hartsfield, D. E. (2021). “Not Just For Us Nerds”: Examining elementary teachers’ perspectives of contemporary children’s nonfiction. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 7(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.1786

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Published

2020-12-13

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Abstracts