MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE AND MULTIETHNIC READERS: EXAMINING AESTHETIC INVOLVEMENT AND PREFERENCES FOR TEXT

Abstract

This study sought to determine if subjects’ aesthetic involvement or story preference would be influenced by the subject's culture or culture portrayed in text. Students in 6 fifth‐grade classes and 6 seventh‐grade classes in the same school district listened to six African‐American, Hispanic, and White stories. After each story, subjects wrote a free response and rated the story. Level of aesthetic involvement was not significantly influenced by the culture of subject or text. Fifth graders preferred White stories, while seventh graders preferred African‐American texts. Subjects of minority cultures preferred stories portraying their own culture while White subjects were more homogeneous in their preference. It was concluded that although subjects of different ethnicities prefer stories reflecting their own culture, they are capable of complex aesthetic transactions regardless of the culture portrayed.