Meaning-making from wordless (or nearly wordless) picturebooks: what educational research expects and what readers have to say

Arizpe, E. (2013) Meaning-making from wordless (or nearly wordless) picturebooks: what educational research expects and what readers have to say. Cambridge Journal of Education, 43(2), pp. 163-176. (doi: 10.1080/0305764X.2013.767879)

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Abstract

Wordless (or nearly wordless) picturebooks are intriguing in terms of how readers make meaning from them. This article offers a conceptualization of existing studies in the field of education that use wordless picturebooks with young readers. While some of these studies contribute to understanding meaning-making, the pragmatic use of wordless picturebooks often does not take account of their particular nature and of the heightened role of the reader, leading to a mismatch between what the picturebook expects from the implied reader and the researchers’ expectations of what ‘real’ readers must do with these books. By highlighting observations from children’s literature scholarship and reader-response studies, this article aims to encourage a more interdisciplinary understanding of meaning-making. It also seeks to persuade educational researchers and mediators to consider investigative approaches that are not based on verbalization but are more in tune with the invitations that wordless picturebooks extend to young readers.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Cambridge Journal of Education, 2013, Copyright © 2013 Taylor and Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/0305764X.2013.767879
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Arizpe, Professor Evelyn
Authors: Arizpe, E.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Creativity Culture and Faith
College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Culture, Literacies, Inclusion & Pedagogy
Journal Name:Cambridge Journal of Education
Publisher:Taylor and Francis
ISSN:0305-764X
Published Online:18 February 2013
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2013 University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education
First Published:First published in Cambridge Journal of Education 43:2
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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