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Building Empathy Through Poverty Narratives in the English Language Arts Classroom

Research Proposal

Kim West

Approaches to Research: ENG 501

Dr. Baldini

February 23, 2022

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General Area of Study

The implementation of authentic texts has been studied to emphasize the need in schools

nationwide, especially as books are being banned due to content. However, my research will

focus specifically on curriculum design for secondary English Language Arts programs. I will

research the impacts on the development and deconstruction of our biases, mainly focused on

interactions with poverty narratives. These resources are meant to broaden our understanding of

the human experience and deepen our capacity for empathy, but it is my theory that if these texts

are not taught in a way that emphasizes that mode of thinking, these narratives can often justify

biases and enforce previously held notions regarding groups of people, as Ramasubramanian and

Clawson et al., discover in their studies surrounding representations of race in media. These gaps

cause us to question their inclusion in the curriculum if not incorporated with guidance and

support. Ultimately, my research will seek to identify curricular needs for secondary English

Language Arts classrooms making Education my general area of study.

Literature Review:

Learning to empathize with the struggles of others is crucial in understanding the human

experience outside of and in connection to our existence. Narratives that convey challenging or

seemingly taboo topics broaden our willingness to try to understand the plights of others and

enable our ability to become more compassionate human beings (Miller et al., 2021).

Ramasubramanian specifically focuses on race exemplars in media and concludes that “racial

cues in the media shape viewers’ notions of internal attributions for out-group failures, which

indirectly affects support for policies” (2011). Ramasubramanian discusses that our biases

regarding race directly impact our support for legislation and social programs that alleviate racist

practices and policies as we build or deny these newfound feelings of empathy towards specific
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groups. I believe then that her conclusions will directly correlate with similar media

representations regarding poverty. Moreover, as she shows, our understandings of race can be

enforced and influenced by the media. Therefore, as Clawson et al. identify in their research, our

support may be harmful and ineffective if the feelings and interpretations are based on

stereotypes or inaccurate and racialized depictions of the poor. Consequently, the communities

where aid and support are most needed will not receive what they need (Clawson et al., 2003).

The current literature proves that exposure builds empathy. However, there is still a lack

of diversity in K-12 approved literary texts that work to dismantle poverty stereotypes in

conjunction with other harmful stereotypes about race, gender, and identity. Hahn et al. (2021)

deepened the research on our ability to build empathy by identifying “salience in moral

judgment” in children based on their exposure to media. Their research began with the

agreed-upon knowledge that we are born with the ability to develop our moral judgment skills.

They concluded that we are born with innate morals developed based on our upbringing and

exposure to others. Supposing their conclusions are accurate, based on curated exposure to

specific resources, research regarding students’ exposure to narratives that highlight and

emphasize class and wealth gaps should also alert students to the need for care and support for

those groups. While other studies have proven that engaging in story-telling and accessing stories

helps build empathy (McKerracher, 2008), this study focuses explicitly on fiction’s ability to

grow our understanding of more significant and abstract concepts.

In Mistry et al.’s study, “ Increasing the complexity of young adolescents’ beliefs about

poverty…” (2011), they focused on direct instruction about the causes of poverty, both systemic

and individual, within a middle school social studies classroom. Their findings proved that direct

instruction, even over a week, about sensitive topics, such as wealth gaps or the vulnerability of
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those who lack necessities increased student empathy and compassion for those who struggle

financially. My research would use their conclusions and bridge them to high school students

exposed to fiction or non-fiction narratives. Their study, while critical in building my research, is

another source of many that show a lack of data for students at the high school level, the

existence of which would solidify that their findings are permanent and not simply a product of a

short period of exposure in elementary school or as children.

A widely held belief is that “art imitates life,” but we often neglect to wonder if the art is

accurate. Bullock, Wyche, and Williams (2001) identify media as a social norm enforcer, proving

that we learn how to engage with others based on witnessing similar, or even far-fetched -

depending on our privilege- situations play out on screen or in images. Their research, like

others, takes place after the Welfare Reform push of the late 90s and demonstrates that poverty

narratives were scarce or did not highlight systemic issues that lead to poverty. Though

seemingly small matters in terms of representation of other diverse backgrounds, these subtle

reminders that poverty is an individualized rather than systemic problem introduced or reinforced

biases and stereotypes held by viewers.

Hills and Darragh both deepen and contradict this commentary by analyzing young adult

fiction in their 2016 study. Unlike Bullock, Wyche, and Williams’ focus on digital media and

images, they categorize 71 texts based on race, gender, and shared sensitive content. They seek

to identify the work being done to enforce or debunk stereotypes by authors and how educators

are conversating about these texts with students. Their research shows positive discussions

surrounding poverty and the poor in addition to the perpetuated negative stereotypes. Their

findings show that the majority of young adult texts surveyed show white protagonists living in

poverty but that there is a rise in the depiction of teen pregnancy despite teen pregnancy numbers
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dropping heavily over the last few decades. The challenge they highlight gives reason to believe

that these depictions could have readers concluding that teen pregnancy is a consequence of or a

reason for poverty, despite the efforts to negate poverty stereotypes. Their research reinforces the

need to more closely examine what topics are emphasized by educators and content creators

because the discussion or lack thereof leads young readers to draw their own conclusions, no

matter how off-base from the author’s or instructor’s intent.

My research seeks to fill the gaps in the pivotal and vital research before it. Any steps

toward diversifying and amplifying the voices we use in our classrooms are positive. Still,

teachers must also reflect on the methods employed to communicate the complex and intense

topics in such narratives. Miller et al. (2021) conclude the importance of language when

addressing such sensitive issues. Their research helps to define and identify major overarching

tropes, such as “Black Urban Poverty,” “The Unfair System,” and “Individual Drive,” which will

lend to my survey questions. By establishing these widely popularized tropes and how they

enforce our beliefs, their study emphasizes the need to deconstruct false and exaggerated

narratives and the importance of highlighting counternarratives to give agency to those in these

situations. I seek to prove that educators' improper or nonexistent sensitivity training to discuss

sensitive issues such as race, class, gender, and sexuality can damage students and limit their

empathy-building potential.

Research Question:

My research will answer the following questions: When reading or viewing texts that

incorporate narratives about the poor and financially unstable, are we likely to empathize

independently, or do we require further discussion and instruction on developing empathy? Does

reading literature and viewing media depictions of poverty without conscientious education to
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combat stereotypes work to confirm our previously held biases regarding the poor? Does access

to intersectional narratives inclusive of socioeconomic status and counterstereotypes lessen our

misconceptions about the poor? Because much research surrounding the impact of media proves

that media shapes our thinking from a young age, my research will be an essential addition to a

facet of diversity that is often under or misrepresented in high school classrooms: socioeconomic

status and classism.

Justification:

In the past decade, we have seen a call to action placed upon curriculum coordinators to

work with educators to vet resources and design instruction that is more inclusive of multiple

perspectives. Though English Language Arts curricula often seek to include narratives to

broaden the views of young readers, many teachers do not utilize the intersectional nature of

diverse stories to broaden students’ understanding of complex existence. Instead, many educators

use each novel or text to focus on one aspect of the human experience, often at the cost of other

essential parts of our identity. Moreover, these studies do not include the effects of longevity or

consistent exposure after instruction in a classroom setting, if they apply to education at all.

Therefore, the need for a study that tracks the impacts of exposure before, during, and after

formal schooling is needed because people do not have consistent access to educational

instruction to help tackle sensitive topics post-graduation. In seeking to be more inclusive of

intersectional narratives and implementing resources that guide students to understand and

deviate from previously held misconceptions, my research will centralize how people view

poverty generally and how we perceive poverty based on media depictions. Furthermore, my

research will emphasize texts that are particularly effective in building empathy among young

readers and learners.

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Data Collection and Analysis Methods:

The purpose of my study is to drive curriculum development and sensitivity to the

instruction of poverty narratives in high school English Language Arts classrooms. At the core of

my research will be students and educators as this data directly relates to and impacts the work

that they do in the classroom. The process of my study would last for two to four years following

freshmen through their high school English classes.

Methodologies:

I plan to implement mixed qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to compile

my data. Because human emotions are complex, a simple quantitative methodology would

neglect to achieve a complete picture of each participant’s feelings towards the subject matter.

Therefore, participants will complete initial surveys to gauge their feelings pre-instruction. Then,

to expand upon their responses to these pre, mid, and post surveys, participants will have the

option to be interviewed to elaborate on their choices and discuss topics not explicitly covered

through an open style of interview. Incorporating both of these methodologies will provide a

deeper understanding of the impact by using quantitative data that can identify a common thread

in feelings expressed and qualitative data to incorporate the human perspective to the research

that ultimately seeks to encapsulate the human experience.

Participant Selection and Ethical Concerns

Moving on to the participants, I would first need to acquire parent or guardian permission

for my students under the age of majority. While I aim to keep all participant names anonymous,

including teachers, I will still seek consent to include students’ perspectives and opinions in the

report because the survey will ask about topics that the Pennsylvania State Standards do not

require. Because I will record the results anonymously and voluntarily, I will not release
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questions before they participate unless specifically requested by parents for their students.

Because the responses are anonymous, I do not plan to seek approval to use direct quotes or data

on behalf of someone’s interview. In addition to students, I will also seek adult participants in

English Language Arts education for grades 9-12. I will seek at least one educator per grade

level to understand better how these educators view the texts they are utilizing in their classes

and how they are instructing the content. I aim to keep their identities anonymous so I will only

need to get their consent to participate at their own choice.

Methods:

Drawing from the categorizing practices of Miller et al. (2021) and Hills and Darragh

(2016), I begin my research by accessing the school's current curriculum by asking the

curriculum coordinator for a published list and surveying the district's teachings. I would analyze

the texts for common motifs, race and ethnic breakdown by author and protagonist, and specific

details regarding the poverty depicted in texts. This analysis would serve a double purpose as I

would draw examples from texts that students and teachers can reference in their interviews and

surveys as they would have been or will be exposed to these narratives. I will also use the list's

data to pull in additional appropriate resources in the study that are age-appropriate but could be

missing from their curriculum. (For example, if there are many novels and films but no short

stories or poetry, I may find external resources that could supplement their approved texts lists.)

All participants will be given a pre-survey, including the teachers, that asks them to use

adjectives to describe their understanding of poverty, consider their thoughts about the reasons

for poverty (societal or individual), rank deservingness and legitimacy based on their

preconceived notions, identify what they believe to be true and false regarding stereotypes of the

poor, and to list or mark narratives that include characters that face low socioeconomic status or
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financial hardship that they have learned about or have seen in the past. The study done by

Mistry et al. (2011) influenced this choice as it seems to be the most effective way to identify and

record reactions and feelings without affecting their choices. Teachers will also be asked to

elaborate on motifs and themes they focus on with each text in their curriculum. If students and

teachers choose to participate in the interview portion, I would ask them to elaborate on their

responses, reference specific characters and scenes to which they have been exposed, pull clips

or trending videos that they may have mentioned, and let the conversation flow organically. For

teachers, I would have an additional section in the interview that applies directly to their

instruction or how they approach sensitive and challenging topics with their students.

After the initial surveys and interviews, both students and educators would be asked to

take additional surveys at the close of each subsequent year and elaborate in additional

interviews to track and measure how their feelings are changing and developing as they mature,

become more or less serious about their studies, and are exposed to new narratives in their

English Language Arts classes. At the end of their high school career, I will ask students to take

an exit survey and participate in an exit interview about their understandings of poverty, reasons

for poverty, feelings toward anti-poverty legislation, and their willingness to help those with

limited access to necessities.

Data Analysis Strategies

When analyzing the data from these surveys and interviews, I will look to find linguistic

similarities in how students and teachers describe situations of poverty, people who live without

access to necessities, funding, and programs meant to help the poor, and their feelings towards

all of the above. Though broad, I will cross-reference these linguistic choices with common or

trending media to see the potential for influence from outside sources. As Ramasubramanian did
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in her study in 2011 with Friends, considering popular television shows, film, and social media

may be imperative in seeing external influences on the perceptions of students. I will also use the

quantitative data to summarize general feelings about the abovementioned topics as outlined in

ratings and questions with limited answer options. When analyzing the primary sources, I will

treat each interview individually but draw more extensive connections between each based on

media that subjects discuss or references that are made to legislation and social programs. I will

then summarize general attitudes towards those things based on what is said in those interviews.

Lastly, I will take the data from teacher interviews and summarize the standard practices of

educators when introducing and instructing on the topics of poverty and the struggles of people

with limited financial stability. All of this data should work together to prove not only what our

biases are toward socioeconomic status, but also how we are impacted based on individual and

instructed exposure to media.

Broader Significance:

Our classrooms should be places where students of all backgrounds feel represented,

seen, and comforted, yet many of the resources included in our instruction may work to

perpetuate largely held biases regarding people with experiences left out of many mainstream

narratives. Though broad in scope, this study would seek to highlight student attitudes and

educator attitudes toward the poor compared with the impact of poverty narratives on our beliefs

and understanding of class. Though this sample size will be small, we could apply it to a larger

pool of participants and compare attitudes across the country regarding the topics. The results of

this study could drive future curricular choices, including instructional practices, resource

acquisition, and textbook adoption, which can improve the quality of discussions in any English

Language Arts classroom, all of which could produce kinder, more compassionate generations of
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people. However, before real work can happen in changing the curriculum, a future study of the

effectiveness of educational instruction about sensitive topics may be needed to solidify

conclusions.

Furthermore, we are raised not to talk about money or financial situations, often

considered awkward or uncomfortable. However, perhaps the discomfort comes more from not

knowing how to talk about money or how to offer support and comfort to those in struggling

situations. Because a main, however unintentional, purpose of the education system is to teach us

and enforce social norms, the solution to the discomfort may be a more critical and practical

approach to discussing and learning from these diverse narratives that affect all people,

regardless of race, gender, and identity. As I have mentioned, many of the texts we use when

diversifying our resources are intersectional, combining narratives surrounding race and identity

with struggles with classism and sexuality. As educators, our job should be to discuss these

aspects of our identity in tandem rather than in isolation. I anticipate that my research will prove

that in amplifying one element of identity, we often neglect to discuss another, which can be

harmful in teaching students to understand the whole person versus focusing on singular aspects

of the person or broader negative stereotypes. The results of this study should identify effective

and ineffective instructional practices regarding the topics, which could also drive teacher

induction programs and professional development training. The training can focus on identifying

our own biases and combat them in our teaching, which could combat them in the development

process for students.

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Bibliography

Bullock, Fraser Wyche, K., & Williams, W. R. (2001). Media Images of the Poor. Journal of

Social Issues, 57(2), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00210

Clawson, & Trice, R. (2000). Poverty as We Know It: Media Portrayals of the Poor.

Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1086/316759

Hahn, L., Tamborini, R., Prabhu, S., Grall, C., Novotny, E., & Klebig, B. (2021, August 26).

Narrative Media’s Emphasis on Distinct Moral Intuitions Alters Early Adolescents’

Judgments. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications. Advance

online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000307

Hill, Craig, and Darragh, J. J. (2016). From bootstraps to hands up: A multicultural content

analysis of the depiction of poverty in young adult literature. Study and Scrutiny:

Research on Young Adult Literature, 1(2), 31-63.

McKerracher, A. (2008). Towards a narrative pedagogy: How stories humanize representations

of poverty (Order No. MR40804). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Global.(304476912).http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.c

m/dissertations-theses/towards-narrative-pedagogy-how-stories-humanize/docview/304

76912/se-2?accountid=4485

Miller, T. L., Volmert, A., Rochman, A., & Aassar, M. (2021). Talking about

poverty: Narratives, counter-narratives, and telling effective stories.

FrameWorks, (September), 3-34.

https://www.actforalexandria.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Talking-aboutPoverty.pdf

Mistry, R. S., Brown, C. S., Chow, K. A., & Collins, G. S. (2011). Increasing the complexity

of young adolescents’ beliefs about poverty and inequality: Results of an 8th Grade

Social Studies Curriculum Intervention. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(6),

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704–716. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9699-6

Ramasubramanian, S. (2011). The Impact of Stereotypical Versus Counterstereotypical Media

Exemplars on Racial Attitudes, Causal Attributions, and Support for Affirmative Action.

Communication Research, 38(4), 497–516. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650210384854