Future preschool teachers faced with literary education: An analysis of their beliefs regarding children's literature

Abstract

Considering the importance of teachers as mediators, this paper aims at finding out student teachers' beliefs regarding the selection of texts for literary education and reading promotion in preschool education. A mixed or qualitative-quantitative methodology was implemented- two questionnaires -an open one and a closed one- were administered to a sample of students in the Degree in Preschool Education (N=145) at two Spanish universities (Oviedo and Castilla-La Mancha). Results reveal that although aware that literary works must suit their audience, many students lack criteria to assess what such suitability consists of. Insufficient training in literature and its didactics is identified, as student teachers lack specialized lexicon and analysis tools to critically assess works, regarding both their text and their illustration. As a consequence, scarce attention seems to be paid to the literary-artistic qualities of texts, whereas a noticeable tendency to use children's literature as a tool is visible- preference is given to educative and moralizing dimensions rather than to aesthetic properties and reading pleasure. Conclusions point to the need for quality training of teachers as mediators, providing them with the necessary knowledge and abilities to analyze and assess children's literature. It is also essential to transform certain erroneous conceptions of children's literature, ensuring that the difference between literature reading and school reading is understood, and making them aware of the importance of the literary-artistic dimension and the reading pleasure in the practice of literary education.