This study is one of a senes designed to mvestigate the imphcations of a stmctural balance model of communication effects (Feather, 1964(Feather, , 1967a This model uses the mathematical theory of lmear graphs to represent the basic communication situation m which a source (S) is presenting a commumcation (C) about an issue (I) to a receiver (R) These four elements of the communication situation are mapped mto pomts of a lmear graph, and attitiidmal and unit relations between the elements are mapped mto lmes of the graph The model, as presented m Figure 1, specifies eight signed digraphs (s-digraphs) m which all semicycles are positive (Cartwnght & Harary, 1956) All of the s-digraphs m Figure 1 are therefore completely balanced accordmg to Cartwright and Harary's reformulation of Heider's prmciple (1958) In these s-digraphs a straight lme represents an attitudmal relation and a bracket represents a unit relation. Sohd lines represent positive relations and dashed lmes represent negative relations This model has now been investigated in a number of studies (usually mvolvmg role-playmg) where the mterest has mamly focused upon whether Ss, given information about certam relations m the model, would predict the sign of other relations m accordance with the prmciple of balance (Feather, 1965a(Feather, , 1965b More recently attention has also been given to the problem of the strength of relations (Feather, 1966(Feather, , 1967b) Investigations of the model so far conducted have been reviewed m a recent paper (Feather, 1967a)
This article explored the role of hair in Sylviane Diouf's Bintou's Braids and focused on the impact of hair as a cultural signifier on girls and the curriculum. The article examined the ability of this children's text to address female beauty standards and suggests the use of literary techniques, such as reader's theatre, to recognize and critically explore diverse issues among children. The work specifically: (1) deconstructs messages about hair norms, with particular emphasis on black female hair in one children's text, and (2) transforms the selected text into a reader's theatre script for use in elementary classrooms, suggesting an array of literary construction and usage types in children's classroom communities to support increased literacy engagement. This article expands the body of inquiry on hair and its impact on the curriculum by examining the relationships between the cultural power of hair, literacy, performance and African American girls. The literature has established the unique responses of diverse girls to literary constructions, and several studies provide alternatives for deciphering the meaning of texts and utilizing the empowering aspect of girls through literacy. Likewise, this article qualitatively examined Diouf's Bintou's Braids for its use of various aspects of identity development such as affirmation, ritual and social responsibility. The reader's theatre adaptation, Little Bintou Loves Her Braids, begins to address the current inadequacy of literary offerings in the genre.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.