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The Contribution of Trade Books to Early Science Literacy: In and Out of School

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Abstract

Lifelong science literacy begins with attitudes and interests established early in childhood. The use of trade books (i.e., a literary work intended for sale to the general public) in North American school classrooms to support the development of science literacy invites an examination of the quality of science content disseminated to students. A total of 116 trade books were examined to: (a) determine the degree to which science trade books complement expected science knowledge outcomes outlined in school curricula, and (b) compare trade book content to the goals of scientific literacy. Analysis across four science topics, Dinosaurs, Space, Inheritance, and Growth and Life Properties, revealed that this body of children’s literature is inconsistent in its coverage of curricular goals and elements of scientific literacy. Because trade books represent children’s first exposure to science, these shortcomings should be addressed if these books are to be maximally effective in promoting science literacy. Implications for using trade books in the classroom are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Initially we included energy as a topic but it was eliminated because few trade books could be found. Consequently, no topic falls within this category.

  2. Topics were discussed with a panel of six developmental psychologists and one librarian who specialized in children’s literature who reached consensus that the selected topics were of interest to children in the targeted age range.

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Acknowledgement

This research was supported by funding from the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network (CLLRNet). We thank Nicole Forgeron and Angela McPhee for their assistance with this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Applied Psychology, EdT 302 University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4

    Meadow Schroeder, Anne Mckeough & Hayli Stock

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4

    Susan Graham

  3. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Gay Bisanz

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  1. Meadow Schroeder
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  2. Anne Mckeough
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Correspondence to Meadow Schroeder.

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Schroeder, M., Mckeough, A., Graham, S. et al. The Contribution of Trade Books to Early Science Literacy: In and Out of School. Res Sci Educ 39, 231–250 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-008-9082-0

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