Educational Considerations - Vol 48 No 1 - Article 2 - March 2022 - Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Interactive Social Justice-Themed Read-Alouds

Oct 15, 2026

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Reading aloud is used across K-12 and post-secondary settings to support knowledge building, vocabulary and oral language development, comprehension, fluency modeling, and social-emotional growth. This article addresses the need to study interactive social justice-themed read-alouds with older students. Drawing on a case study using observations, interviews, and student writing, it examines how university pre-service teachers characterize these interactive events, connect to social justice-focused multicultural literature, and consider implications for future teaching and learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Interactive Social Justice-Themed Read-Alouds

Reading Alouds and Educational Benefits

Review of the Literature

Interactive Read-Alouds

Educational Considerations | Volume 48 Number 1 | Article 2 | | --- | --- | | March 2022
Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Interactive Social Justice-Themed Read-Alouds
Kayln Hoppe
Kansas State University, [khoppe@ksu.edu](khoppe@ksu.edu)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://newprairiepress.org/edconsiderations](https://newprairiepress.org/edconsiderations)
Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, and the Language and Literacy Education Commons

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. | | Recommended Citation Hoppe, Kayln (2022) "Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Interactive Social Justice-Themed Read-Alouds,"Educational Considerations: Vol. 48: No. 1. [https://doi.org/10.4148/0146-9282.2322](https://doi.org/10.4148/0146-9282.2322) [This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in](This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in)[ ](This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in)[Educational Considerations by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information](Educational Considerations by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information), please [contact](contact cads@k-state.edu)[ cads@k-state.edu](contact cads@k-state.edu). Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Interactive Social JusticeThemed Read-Alouds Kayln Hoppe Reading aloud is a time-honored tradition that has worked its way from home environments to school settings. Shared reading experiences, like read-alouds, stimulate memories and experiences as well as inspire new connections and perspectives. Even if only for a short time, read-alouds expand readers’ horizons while simultaneously making sense of their own worlds. One by one, each read aloud experience cultivates a classroom into a community of empathetic readers. In a society where social justice efforts are constantly questioned, challenged, and advocated for, it is no surprise that these conversations are making their way into schools across the country, including post-secondary institutions. Children’s literature serves as a non threatening tool to address and discuss social justice topics that reflect the current societal climate of the United States. Even though read-alouds yield academic and social-emotional benefits across all grade levels, the majority of the research is done in traditional elementary school settings (Anderson et al., 1985; Layne, 2015; Routman, 1991; Trelease, 2019) . A need exists to study the use of read alouds with older students (Layne, 2015), including those in post-secondary institutions. Multicultural literature is a way to frame read-aloud events around significant social justice themes that should be addressed in the classroom. Using multicultural literature to discuss important and sometimes sensitive topics helps teachers and students alike develop an understanding and appreciation for a multitude of different cultures, including their own (Gay, 2018; Slay & Morton, 2020) . This case study used observations, interviews, and student writing to understand how university pre-service teachers characterized social justice-themed interactive read-aloud events. Taking on the role as “student,” the pre-service teachers actively participated in two separate read-aloud events and focus group interviews to discuss their personal experiences related to read-alouds. By engaging pre-service teachers in discourse surrounding social justice-themed read-alouds, this study contributes to a better understanding of how college students react and connect to read-aloud practices and social justice-themed literature. Moreover, the stu

FAQs

What is the focus of the article on read-aloud instruction?

The article focuses on interactive read-aloud events centered on social justice themes and how these practices are characterized by university pre-service teachers.

Why does the article emphasize multicultural literature in social justice teaching?

Multicultural literature provides a framework for addressing significant social justice themes in ways that help teachers and students develop understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures.

What methods are used in the case study described in the article?

The case study uses observations, interviews, and student writing. Pre-service teachers participate in two read-aloud events and then join focus group interviews to discuss their experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca