Conditions, concessions, and the many tender mercies of learning through multicultural literature

Abstract

This qualitative research stems from a larger study, and presents cases that focus on four ninth‐grade students’ responses to multicultural literature. I wanted to understand how these students constructed their own texts and meanings when they were required to read, interpret, and critique unfamiliar text written about underrepresented people. My analyses are moored in heuristic characteristics of case study methods (Merriam, 1998) I developed a conceptual framework that centered on the conditions under which students studied and how they conceded to present tangible objects (e.g., journal responses; answer essay test questions) for noticeable outcomes (e.g., grades), thus, revealing what was learned and how. Three broad queries guided my research: (a) What meanings might students construct about cultural diversity and oppression in other countries while studying multicultural literature? (b) What intertextual links might students make to their own ethnic, cultural and economic contexts? and (c) What texts do they create when responding to multicultural literature? I composed this paper drawing from several data sets including a student questionnaire, transcripts from audio taped interviews, answers to essay test questions, and response journals.