Asian and Asian American Girls in Children’s Picture Books
Disciplines
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Early Childhood Education | Elementary Education
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In society, children are generally perceived as socially competent individuals, but girls are often expected to maintain a reserved demeanor and perform domestic tasks such as cooking and childcare, which contributes to the stereotype of being shy. However, girls, particularly those of color, frequently face biases and stereotypes. Despite the growing population of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States, there is a conspicuous absence of positive discourse surrounding Asian and Asian American girls. This project examines the experiences of Asian girls of immigrant families by analyzing 25 out of 70 sampled picture books. The picture books for this study were chosen based on the following criteria: 1) fictional picture books published between 2009 and 2023, 2) featuring protagonists who are East and South Asian girls of immigrant families, 3) targeting PreK to 3rd graders, and 4) written in English. Through the content analysis (Cohen et al., 2007), we examined the representation of girls and girlhood in the sampled books. The findings revealed that girl protagonists often follow a trajectory of being followers to leaders (44% books), being bullied and put down (40%), and receiving main support from their mothers (36%). Additionally, young girls are more involved in domestic chores compared to their male counterparts. The study also found that girls and women are still expected to follow the traditional gender roles and succumb to harmful stereotypes. This study offers insights into the challenges of Asian/Asian American girlhood, while also acknowledging the beauty of togetherness and bonding.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
BCOE - Elementary & Early Childhood Education
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jinhee Kim
Asian and Asian American Girls in Children’s Picture Books
In society, children are generally perceived as socially competent individuals, but girls are often expected to maintain a reserved demeanor and perform domestic tasks such as cooking and childcare, which contributes to the stereotype of being shy. However, girls, particularly those of color, frequently face biases and stereotypes. Despite the growing population of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States, there is a conspicuous absence of positive discourse surrounding Asian and Asian American girls. This project examines the experiences of Asian girls of immigrant families by analyzing 25 out of 70 sampled picture books. The picture books for this study were chosen based on the following criteria: 1) fictional picture books published between 2009 and 2023, 2) featuring protagonists who are East and South Asian girls of immigrant families, 3) targeting PreK to 3rd graders, and 4) written in English. Through the content analysis (Cohen et al., 2007), we examined the representation of girls and girlhood in the sampled books. The findings revealed that girl protagonists often follow a trajectory of being followers to leaders (44% books), being bullied and put down (40%), and receiving main support from their mothers (36%). Additionally, young girls are more involved in domestic chores compared to their male counterparts. The study also found that girls and women are still expected to follow the traditional gender roles and succumb to harmful stereotypes. This study offers insights into the challenges of Asian/Asian American girlhood, while also acknowledging the beauty of togetherness and bonding.