Research Proposal 2

1. Statement of the Problem

The preponderance of visual means of communication makes young readers

environment enriched; as a result they are expected to make meaning from a variety of media

including materials not exclusive to text, such as picturebooks. Despite the fact of the multiple

points of views that strongly support the potential of picturebooks and its great impact on

enhancing young readers ‘comprehension skills as well as fostering their interpretive

repertoires, there continues to be a lack of a significant exposure to quality picturebooks by

young readers due to the traditional belief that they are purely and solely meant to be

entertainment tools. In addition to a lack of encouragement by adults due to the short-

sightedness of their views concerning the power of picturebooks, because they have been

always targeting only its richly ornamented illustrations, overlooking its intrinsic value as an

excellent edutainment tool to develop young readers ‘comprehension skills and cognition as

well as refining their aesthetic appreciation for this art form, besides its power to entrench the

love of reading with great appreciation in young readers’ mind.

2. Research Questions

1- What role do picturebooks play in the development of young readers’ reading

comprehension?

2 - How can picturebooks be a powerful device to foster young reader’s interpretive

repertoires?

3. Hypotheses

 Hypothesis One
We hypothesize that, if young readers are frequently and extensively exposed to

quality picturebooks, the probabilities of exploring these books in depth by young readers
would increase, and as a result the enhancement of their reading skills would be successfully

achieved.

 Hypothesis Two
We hypothesize; if adults understand the intrinsic value of picturebooks and recognize the

potential of all the elements that constitute these books in developing their children’s

cognition and language skills, then, they will take part in approaching this kind of books with

them and learning together how to appropriately and deeply explore these books to benefit

from it.

4. Aim of the Study

This study aims at providing a clear well-explained account for the prominence position of

quality picture books in children literature and its great potential in developing young readers

cognitive and language skills as well. This account can provide a clear vision about adopting

significant ways to approach picturebooks and to reconsider the traditional views concerning

its intrinsic value. This can also give a transparent picture about the merits of this kind of

books and to encourage young reader to approach them and to learn how to benefit from this

unique art form.

5. Means of Research
In this paper, a study is reported which represents a reader-response perspective in the

elementary reading curriculum adopted by the researcher Serafini(2001), using the

cornerstone text, Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak , to serve as a strong foundation for

understanding the other books in his study. The purpose of the researcher is to encourage his

students to construct multiple interpretations of a text and to share their ideas with the other

readers in their classroom community by creating an appropriate space for readers to explore

their responses to their reading and negotiate meaning to allow more students investment in

the interpretive process.

 6. Structure of the Dissertation
The dissertation comprises three chapters, in addition to general introduction and a

general conclusion. They can be summarized as follows:

Chapter One is devoted to the theoretical background to uncover the elements under

investigation, picturebooks, its role in young readers’ development, the importance of visual

literacy and the interplay between illustration and text in picturebooks. This chapter will lay

the foundation for our study.

Chapter Two represents the practical part, a study was reported, highlighting the procedures

employed by the researcher and the result achieved, then it is followed by a discussion of the

achievements of the researcher’s perspective.

Chapter Three is concerned with the analysis of the dynamics of the interconnectedness

between illustrations and text in where the Wild Things are, by Maurice Sendak and its

impact on developing readers’ comprehension skills.