This thesis investigates the process of bibliotherapy and conducts a content analysis on how children's mental health was supported and improved during the Covid-19 pandemic through picture books. The results of this research can provide information for parents, teachers and caregivers on choosing appropriate picture books for bibliotherapy.
When Covid-19 arrived, the disease quickly spread fear, confusion, and panic, resulting in a lockdown which affected many countries around the globe. Children's routines were abruptly changed, and a lot of contrasting information was spread about the virus. During this time, people had to reach out for mental, emotional and physical help more than ever. On the one hand, having to stay alone at home as well as social distancing brought loneliness, boredom and fatigue. On the other hand, being confined with others increased the stress on relationships. The pandemic increased children’s exposure to domestic and sexual violence, and greatly reduced their contact to other important people in their lives.
For children, effective intervention measures were crucial to assist them throughout the pandemic so that they gained a better understanding of how to handle situations effectively. Systematic reading for therapeutic purposes can improve coping strategies and help make more informed decisions. Reading stories with children can open a safe space, teach them that they are not alone, provide insight into what is happening around them and offer information that can help them overcome their circumstances. Numerous approaches can be used to assist children in dealing with difficult situations. One of these can be bibliotherapy, a valuable intervention that can help by coping with the effects of a lockdown and paying specific attention to the changed situation. It can allow children to face the uncertainty produced by school lockdowns and the inability to see friends and family. Bibliotherapy can provide guidance in identifying problems, discussing feelings, and exploring possible solutions. Books have been a tool of change and can assist in making decisions and coping with difficult situations.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Part I: Theoretical Framework
2. (Children’s) Picture Books
2.1 E-Books
2.2 Tender Topics in (Children’s) Picture Books
2.3. Critical Thinking Through (Children’s) Picture Books
2.4 (Children’s) Mental Health
2.4.1 (Children’s) Mental Health and Covid-19
3. Bibliotherapy
4. Covid-19 and Its Consequences
4.1 Publishing During a Pandemic
4.2 Covid-19 Topics Affecting Children
4.3 Covid-19 and CLIL
Part II: Analysis of Selected (Children’s) Picture Books
5. Excursion: Ontology of Reality and Postmodern Picture Books
6. Method and Procedure
7. Introduction of Selected (Children’s) Picture Books
8. Analysis
9. Results
9.1 Response - Results
9.2 Mental Health - Results
9.3 Pandemic - Results
9.4 Messages - Results
10. Evaluation
10.1 Findings and Discussion
10.1.1 Response - Findings
10.1.2 Mental Health - Findings
10.1.3 Pandemic - Findings
10.1.4 Messages - Findings
10.2 Limitations
10.3 Research questions
11. Conclusion (incl. recommendation)
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This thesis investigates the implementation of bibliotherapy and conducts a qualitative content analysis on how children's mental health was supported and improved through picture books during the Covid-19 pandemic. The primary research question explores how children's mental health can be effectively supported through these literary media in times of crisis.
- The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children's mental health.
- The role of picture books as tools for bibliotherapy and emotional support.
- Analysis of coping strategies and mental health representations in contemporary children's literature.
- Critical thinking and the discussion of "tender topics" through picture books.
- The intersection of pandemic-related crises and pedagogical support.
Excerpt from the Book
The Rabbit Listened
The 40-page picture book written by Cori Doerrfeld, published by Dial Books in February 2018, is about a child named Taylor, who does not know how to deal with his emotions when something sad happens. He builds a castle-like structure from blocks only to see it come crashing down when a flock of birds flies through it. Some animals see Taylor sitting down next to the pieces of his broken-down castle in sadness. They appear one by one with different suggestions. The first to arrive is a chicken that suggests talking about it, but then it leaves when Taylor does not want to talk.
The bear suggests that Taylor should get angry about what happened, the ostrich intends to hide and pretend that nothing happened, and the kangaroo just wants to throw it all away. However, Taylor does not like any of these ideas, so eventually all animals leave and Taylor still sits alone. The last one to arrive is the rabbit who does not suggest or offer anything. He just sits with Taylor and listens to him, which is all Taylor wants at that moment. This shows that being comforted sometimes can mean only listening to the other person and giving them the assurance that they are not alone (cf. Doerrfeld 2018).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the background of children's mental health during the pandemic and establishes bibliotherapy as a core research approach.
2. (Children’s) Picture Books: Defines the nature of picture books, their history, and their role in discussing tender topics and fostering critical thinking.
3. Bibliotherapy: Explores the concept, history, and mechanism of bibliotherapy as a non-pharmacological technique for mental well-being.
4. Covid-19 and Its Consequences: Outlines the origins of the pandemic, its global impact, and the shift in publishing trends toward issue-based children's literature.
5. Excursion: Ontology of Reality and Postmodern Picture Books: Discusses the philosophical differences between discourse and content analysis regarding social reality.
6. Method and Procedure: Details the inductive content analysis methodology and the rationale for selecting specific picture books for the study.
7. Introduction of Selected (Children’s) Picture Books: Provides short introductions and summaries of the five selected picture books analyzed in the research.
8. Analysis: Explains the development and structure of the coding sheet used for the empirical part of the study.
9. Results: Presents the categorized findings regarding response variables, mental health, and pandemic-specific themes.
10. Evaluation: Discusses the findings, limitations, and methodological validity of the research outcomes.
11. Conclusion (incl. recommendation): Synthesizes the core findings and offers recommendations for the integration of bibliotherapy in educational policies.
Keywords
Bibliotherapy, Covid-19, Mental Health, Children's Literature, Picture Books, Coping Strategies, Resilience, Content Analysis, Emotional Support, Pandemic, Education, Childhood Development, Crisis Intervention, Social-Emotional Learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The thesis investigates how children's mental health can be supported during the Covid-19 pandemic using bibliotherapy and specifically selected picture books.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The study covers the impact of the pandemic on children, the therapeutic benefits of reading, mental health coping strategies, and how to communicate difficult "tender" topics.
What is the central research question?
The primary question is: How can children's mental health be supported through picture books to feel well in crisis?
Which methodology is employed in this research?
The author uses a qualitative, inductive content analysis to label and group key points from the selected children's picture books.
What does the research cover in the main section?
The main part of the thesis links theoretical concepts of bibliotherapy and mental health with a practical content analysis of five specific, post-2018 picture books.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Bibliotherapy, Mental Health, Covid-19, Picture Books, and Coping Strategies.
Why did the author choose picture books published between 2018 and 2021?
The author focused on this timeframe to maintain the relevance of findings regarding the ever-changing nature of mental health during the pandemic years.
How is intercoder reliability ensured?
The author trained a volunteer to code the books independently; any disagreements were resolved using a third coder to ensure the accuracy of the final results.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Lea Herrmann (Autor:in), 2022, Bibliotherapy. Supporting Children's Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic Through Picture Books, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1361231
