Kasey Garrison

Investigating the Guided Inquiry Process

Guided Inquiry (GI) is “a way of thinking, learning and teaching that changes the culture of the classroom into a collaborative inquiry community” [1, p. xiii]. GI tasks and scaffolding are emerging in American and Australian contexts, based on the ISP and GID processes. However, there is a need for research in schools on the ways students use and transfer the GID process. This mixed methods study investigated the use and transfer of the GID process for Year 7 students in an all girls’ Catholic school in a capital city in Australia as they engaged in two projects in History and Geography. Overall, findings indicate that students were able to improve their practice of the GID process from the first project to the second and that they felt more confident using it the second time. They also show diverse interpretations and preferences towards integral elements of GI including choice of research topic.

“Immigrants of Us All”: Experiencing Migration and Movement through Batchelder Award-winning Translated Books

How do cultural identities such as religion, social class, and gender enable or restrict the freedom of characters in award-winning translated books for children? The movement of characters within a set of recent books recognized with the Batchelder award provides a global perspective on freedom and human rights and calls attention to contemporary and historical struggles of people around the world. This study suggests high quality titles that may help librarians and teachers develop children’s understanding of other cultures and the physical and metaphorical borders that constrain freedom of movement.

Trends in Translations: The Mildred L. Batchelder Award from 1997-2013

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to United States publishers who have published English translations of books originating outside the US. This study analyzes characteristics of Batchelder titles from 1997-2013 including format, genre, original language, and setting. Our findings reveal a predominance of Western European languages and settings and a preponderance of fiction novels with serious subjects. These findings raise questions about the availability and diversity of translated books for children in the US.