Given the importance of teachers' views and perspectives in promoting media literacy among students and children, this study examines the perspectives of kindergarten teachers in Austria on media education. Data was collected through an online survey of kindergarten teachers who participated in a training. The results show that common approaches…

Drawing from data generated during the 2016-2017 academic year, this study centred on U.S. children's design of two critical literacies compositions--a letter to Congress and a persuasive multimodal text. Situated within an integrated unit focused on (im)migrants, children asked legislators to act on the GOP Administration's proposed border wall…

Connecting literacy to social issues such as gender stereotypes supports reading and writing achievement while also allowing students to think critically and in justice-focused ways. Such practices allow students to critique gender stereotypes in texts while also examining and even challenging their own implicit perceptions of gender. However,…

This case study focuses on the implementation and analysis of critical algorithmic literacy (CAL) lessons in two grade 3/4 combination classes. The study involves one elementary school teacher and 36 students from a K-6 school in Southern California. By analyzing various data sources, I identified trends that could be helpful for future…

Despite the importance of traditional children's literature in children's literacy learning, little is still known about how fairytales can be effectively used for pedagogical purposes to facilitate young children's critical participation in early literacy instruction. The main purpose of this article is to explore the intersection of…

This article examines the pedagogical potential of art-based, early critical literacy as a space in which young bilingual children can explore the issues of human diversity and uniqueness. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, this study focused on 12 five-year-old children of Mexican origin at a charter school located in Texas.

This study investigates the potential of integrating social studies instruction with critical literacy practices to challenge and/or expand elementary students' perceptions of gender. Gender stereotypes develop early in childhood and are often reinforced throughout elementary education. Thus, this study examines the use of a framework for social…

Decades of research demonstrate that young children make meaning about race and racism. Yet there remains a dearth of scholarship about whether and how African American children are thinking across racial and ethnic difference to make sense of systemic inequities. Moreover, there are but a handful of scholars who have documented the ways that…

As of May 2022, 42 state legislatures had introduced bills that would limit how (and whether) teachers can address inequities based on race, gender, and other marginalized identities. At the same time, book bans are becoming increasingly common across the country. Given the importance of providing children opportunities to critically engage with…

With the explicit goal of today's school students being active citizens, critically engaged and democratically minded over the long course of their schooling, the authors of this article focus on the notions of "rhetoric" and, relatedly, "rhetorical agency." While these notions are increasingly understood in secondary school…

The purpose of this action research study was to develop a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of teaching social justice principles in early childhood using critical literacy. By the time children enter Preschool, they become cognizant of visual differences between them and others in their environment and begin creating or adopting biases…

Grounded in the work of critical literacy, the authors describe one preservice teacher's journey as she develops her own critical lens while selecting children's literature and designing instruction to engage second graders in critical conversations. She helps students unpack their biases and reflects on her own assumptions while becoming more…

There are many students experiencing homelessness in the U.S. school systems. However, homelessness in children's literature has been studied little. This article discusses how homelessness is portrayed and illustrated in children's picture books published in the U.S. A total of 25 books, written in English and published in the U.S. from 1990 to…

Drawing on life stories and classroom observations, this qualitative study examined how six bilingual maestras enacted and embodied critical biliteracies through bilanguaging love. These maestras were born, raised, and now teach bilingual education on the Texas-Mexico border. Their stories revealed contradictory and complex beliefs about literacy…

Learning to question power relationships, symbols of power, and how power is used and negotiated in children's literature through critical dialogue can support young readers to move toward a social justice mindset. The authors of this article share critical strategies and analytic tools to support teachers and readers to analyze types of power,…