Tension and Dialogue: Identity Among Religious Preschool Teachers as Reflected in Selection of Children's Literature

• In Event: 64.086 - MTCC Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 64.086-3 - Religion and Philosophy in Teachers' Work

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine teaching of children’s literature among religious Jewish preschool teachers in Israel. The study used a multidisciplinary qualitative methodological approach, which combined practices from the fields of early childhood educational and children’s literature. The research tools were semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire consisting of five open questions. The findings revealed that selection of children’s literature in religious preschools involves dialogue and sometimes even conflict among the components of a religious teacher’s identity. Her choice of books shapes and reflects her self-image, especially when this choice subverts or violates the official policy.

Author

• Yael Segev