What Books Are Considered Valuable for Children? Examination of the Book Selections of Korean Mothers in the United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Curriculum Choices for Building and Understanding Complexity in and out of School

Abstract

This study explores what books seven middle-class Korean mothers with different immigrant status selected for their children’s education in the U.S. For this study, I draw upon the uses and gratifications theory, Norton’s notion of investment, and Bourdieu’s idea of habitus. The data were collected from interviews, observations, and documents over a one-year period. The results revealed that depending on immigrant status, the mothers differently selected particular books to teach language and to pass down values. However, they similarly chose books to shift their children’s social identity, and their book selections were restrained by their middle-class habitus. The findings emphasize the importance of understanding immigrant parents’ book selections to fulfill their needs for their children’s education and their middle-class habitus.

Author

• Jaehee Kwon, Lander University