Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 312 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes bibliographical references (p. 305-312). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (M.S. Ed.) - - Bank Street College of Education, New York, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references and abstract.

Thesis (M.A.I.S.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-101). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Bowling Green State University, 2007. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 80 p. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the picture book preferences of grade four Aboriginal students, to discover what books have the greatest appeal and to determine which specific factors influence their choices. The study took place at an inner city elementary school with a high population of Aboriginal students located in the heart of the Canadian prairies. Experienced educators know that the majority of Aboriginal chidlren come to school with little or no exposure to books. Studies have shown that the ability or lack of ability to read at grade level is a strong indicator of future academic success. Teachers and librarians have little information available to assist them in choosing literature that will be of interest to Aboriginal students and motivate them to read and through practice improve their reading skills. Provincial governments are looking for research that addresses the needs of this growing population. Twelve grade four Aboriginal students participated in the study, seven boys and five girls. The students viewed forty-five books that were divided into three sets of fifteen and chose one book from each set to read and respond to through writing and/or drawing. After the book selection and response sessions were complete, the researcher interviewed each child to determine the one book they would most want to take home. The study concludes that: 1) Students preferred to read picture books portraying Aboriginal characters that reflected their own image; 2) Students transposed the urban and rural settings in the Aboriginal books to make relevant connections with their lives; 3) Aboriginal books portraying Aboriginal characters was the genre with the greatest appeal; 4) Students preferred vivid realistic illustrations; 5) Students background experience frequently determined their preferences in books and also increased their motivation to read; 5) Realistic pictures with minimal amounts of text held great appeal for boys selecting information books. It is hoped that the study will assist teachers and librarians in selecting literature that will be of interest to Aboriginal students encouraging them to read more and by improving their reading skills raise the level of their general academic achievement. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is an exploratory study into the signification potential of contemporary, postmodern picturebooks, specifically focusing on the way in which a seemingly 'simplistic' medium has the potential to initiate a vastly complex play of meanings. Picturebooks are traditionally considered to be a medium which implies a child reader, and conveys a simple linear narrative for educational and entertainment purposes. Traditional picturebooks thus assume a clear division between an author and reader, whereby the author is a 'knowing' adult, who conveys a moral or message to a passive child reader. These assumptions are arguably unsettled by the appearance of postmodern picturebooks, broadly defined as a medium which, while retaining the traditional picturebook format, opens itself up to multiple interpretations, instead of presenting the reader with an encoded message or 'meaning'. A number of postmodern picturebook authors, such as Shaun Tan, intentionally subvert the traditional dynamic between the author and reader of picturebooks by creating complex texts which display a general absence of clear accessible 'meaning', thereby allowing the reader to actively participate in the meaning-making process. With aid of the theories of signification set out by poststructuralist Jacques Derrida, this study aims to illustrate how a purposeful absence of apparent 'meaning' in picturebooks has the potential to allow for unlimited interpretations of a single text, thus by extension widening the 'implied' audience of such picturebooks. The objective is to set postmodern picturebooks apart from other texts (in particular more traditional picturebooks), and to provide a new outlook on the ways picturebooks are created, and the way they are read. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis is 'n ondersoekende studie na die betekenispotensiaal van kontemporêre, post-moderne prenteboeke, met spesiale verwysing na die manier waarop 'n sogenaamde “simplistiese” medium die potensiaal openbaar om 'n hoogs-komplekse verskeidenheid betekenisse te ontlok. Prenteboeke word tradisioneel gesien as 'n medium van eenvoudige, liniêre vertellings gerig op die jong leser met die doel om op te voed of te vermaak. Tradisionele prenteboeke handhaaf dus 'n duidelike afbakening tussen die leser en die outeur, die sogenaamde “alwetende” volwassene, wat 'n morele les/ boodskap aan 'n passiewe, jong leser oordra. Hierdie veronderstelling word egter omvergewerp deur die verskyning van die post-moderne prenteboek wat, alhoewel in die tradisionele formaat van die prenteboek gegiet, die leser die geleentheid bied om veelvoudige interpretasies te maak in plaas van om net die beoogde geënkodeerde betekenis of boodskap van die boek te aanvaar. 'n Aantal post-moderne prenteboekskrywers soos Shaun Tan het die tradisionele dinamiek tussen prenteboekskrywer en -leser bewustelik omver kom werp deur komplekse teks te skep wat gekenmerk word aan die afwesigheid van 'n duidelik waarneembare betekenis en wat die leser dus toelaat om aktief deel te neem aan die interpretasieproses. Die doel van hierdie studie is om met behulp van die betekenispotensiaal-teorie, soos uiteengesit deur post-strukturalis Jacques Derrida, te illustreer hoe die doelbewuste weglating van 'n duidelik waarneembare betekenis of boodskap dit moontlik maak om die teks op veelvoudige maniere te interpreteer en daarmee saam ook die lesersprofiel van prenteboeke te verbreed. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie is dus om die post-moderne prenteboek te onderskei van die tradisionele prenteboek en ander tekste en om nuwe waarnemings en insigte te verskaf in die wyse waarop prenteboeke geskep en gelees word.

The main problem of this research was to discover if children's picture books over the last fifty years have depicted rural values more significantly than urban values. One-hundred and one children's picture books were systematically chosen for analysis. This study takes an overall view of the history of children's literature. Also included is a review of the current studies and literature most germain to this study. Content analysis was used as the technique of data analysis, A descriptive analysis of the sample is also given. The study supports the main hypothesis that rural set, tings and rural values do occur more often than non-rural settings and urban values in children's picture books.

This study explores distinct levels of meaning from images of picture books perceived by 3- to 5-year-old children and investigates how the certain visual perception factors influence children's meaning making and if these factors are correlated. The literature review supports associations among visual perception, information, picture books, meaning, and children. Visual perception serves as the first channel that filters and interprets visual information, and picture books provide visual and verbal experience for children, who constantly search for meaning. Children age 3 to 5 years are potential users of picture books because pictorial information is considered useful to children's learning tasks. Previous research reveals that various factors influence visual perception, and meaning has been mostly associated with its semantic significance in information retrieval. In information science, little research has focused on young children's own way of categorizing information, especially visual information. In order to investigate the distinct levels of meaning perceived by children, the investigation employed both qualitative and quantitative methods including unobtrusive and participant observation, factor analysis, content analysis, and case study. The result of this study contributes to understanding the cognitive process of children related to visual literacy and their interpreting visual information in a digital environment.