From invitation to destination: A systematic literature review of the use of picturebooks in inquiry‐based education

Abstract

Picturebooks offer powerful supports for teaching diverse content across different curriculum areas. Research and curriculum resources document their use in inquiry-based education practices, particularly in relation to science and philosophy. There is, however, little theoretical analysis of this use or cross-curricular comparisons. Applying a systematic literature review process, this paper examines existing empirical research on the use of picturebooks in formal inquiry-based education contexts. The analysis considers the context in which the picturebooks were used, including curriculum context and class level, the role played by the picturebooks in the inquiries and the value ascribed to the use of picturebooks. The review proposes a framework for understanding and contrasting the varying roles played by picturebooks in inquiry-based education approaches. This framework involves seven uses: invitations, provocations, mentors, models, resources, touchstones and destinations. Varying benefits are attributed to the use of picturebooks, including their practicality, inclusivity, complexity, aid to cognitive learning, emotional engagement and association with child readers. These benefits emphasise both the accessibility and the complexity of picturebooks. The review proposes that inquiry approaches should attend to picturebook form and content and the interdependency of the two. The review's analysis supports extended use of picturebooks across the curriculum, including in

What are topic emotions? A comparison of children's emotional responses to climate change, climate change learning and climate change picturebooks

“…The picturebooks used were predominantly fictional, with themes including environmental exploitation and action, with some involving unresolved narratives. Philosophy for children (Khosronejad & Shokrollahzadeh, 2020), inquiry-based science and global justice inquiry approaches (Dewey, 1910;Levy et al, 2013;Oberman, 2023;Short, 2012) were drawn on in lesson planning. For each iteration, the lessons were delivered once or twice a week, taking between two and three months in total.…”

“…All three iterations also involved creative picturebook writing and illustrating (Gannon, 2017;Oberman, 2023). In the first iteration, children wrote their own picturebooks.…”

Planning and interaction: Teachers’ views on pre-primary read-alouds

“…Read-alouds are often connected to language development (Noble et al, 2019), and there is a plenitude of studies on how reading aloud to children can support vocabulary (Santoro et al, 2008;Wasik & Bond, 2001;Wasik & Hindman, 2014) and literacy (Justice et al, 2009;Lennox, 2013;Zucker et al, 2009). Read-alouds have also been studied as arenas for providing knowledge about the world (Boyd, 2013) and opportunities for value education (Oberman, 2023). In addition, many scholars emphasise the importance of promoting literature and reading as enjoyable (Hisrich & McCaffrey, 2021).…”

"Mary Wears What She Wants": Nurturing Gender Expression in Primary School Children

“…Picture books addressing gender diversity have emerged in parallel with the initial stages of LGBTIQ+ rights movements and social activism. Not only do these books provide a sense of identity for gender diverse children, but they also facilitate discussions on gender-related topics during school sessions, thereby fostering a fundamental rejection of transphobia (Oberman, 2023). These books, characterised by their controversial nature , exemplify the presence of challenging and contentious themes within children's literature.…”