Idea Transcript
Let the Caged Bird Sing: Using Literature to Teach Developmental Psychology Chris J. Boyatzis California State University-Fullerton
Reading lists of developmental psychology courses are replete with scientific theory and research. Narrative material from literature can supplement this theory and research by elucidatingpsychological concepts with real-life examples, while deepening students' appreciation for the complexity and diversity of development. In several courses I have used Maya Angelou's (1969) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which is highly efective at illustrating many child development topics: deq~elopmentof self-concept and self-esteem, ego resilience, industry versus inferiority, effects of abuse, parenting styles, sibling and fricendship relations, gender issues, cognitive development, puberty, and identity formation in adolescence. Students react very positively to the book and to a paper in which they analyze Angelou's development using theory and research from the course. The benefit of using narrative in literature to teach psychological concepts has received empirical confirmation (e.g., Femald, 1987; Gorman, 1984; Levine, 1983; Ramirez, 1991; Williams & Kolupke, 1986). For several years, I have used literature in my child development courses to help students elucidate the broader psychological issues treated in theory and research. Although literature alone is not adequate, it complements psychology and is compatible with theory and research. Literature's value is precisely that it uses personal, subjective experiences. Stories vivify theories, which students often find too abstract, as well as "humanize the stark quantitative findings of psychological research" (Grant, 1987, p. 86). Literature is also important because it can depict diversity in development, especially cultural diversity. It can help students appreciate broad, complex influences (e. g., culture, social class, geography, and historical era) as well as universal or culturally specific factors. I have used Angelou's (1969) remarkable childhood autobiography, 1 Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in my sophomore- and junior-level developmental psychology classes to illustrate topics we study via scien~t~fic research and theory. Year after year, students claim that this book is one of the most valuable educational and personal experiences in the course. The book recounts Angelou's childhood from the preschool through adolescent years. The first half of the book spans her early and middle childhood and offers examples of many topics: a sense of industry versus inferiority, the development of self-concept anjd self-esteem, the impact of abuse, the growth of logic and concrete operational thought, child-rearing styles and family relations, gender issues, friendship and the "society of children," and the effects of different environments on development. The second half of the book is a compelling history of the chal-
lenges of puberty and identity formation in adolescence; it illustrates family issues, functions of the peer group, emergence of formal operational thought, formation of a sexual identity, exploration of vocational interests, and, ultimatelv, , ~arenthood. Students write a paper following insltructions to "discuss how Angelou's childhood experiences exemplify two or three aspects or topics of development. Use course materials (text, supplementary readings, class notes, films, handouts) to build a framework of theory and research to analyze Angelouls development." In short, students make connections between the general and the particular: They use the course to explain Angelou's development and use Angelou's experiences to illustrate the course. Students cite course materials in their paper and use quotes and passages from Angelou's book to illustrate their ideas. Many students focus on the topics of self-esteem and resilience. Angelou's book is, among other things, a case study of resilience (Werner. 1984). In fact. one student said the book "correGonded so well ;o work i n resiliency, it seemed as if Angelou read the research before writing her story." Other popular topics students choose are friendship and sibling relations, parent-child relations, gender issues, and cultural and ethnic influences on development. Six to eight pages is an appropriate length for the assignment. I have used the Angelou book as a final assignment and also as an integrated one throughout the course. Although both formats have been successful, the course-ending assignment has been most effective at synthesizingcourse material. One student wrote, "the book and vaver was a marvelous way to bring together concepts we discussed all semester," and another said it was "a powerful culmination of the course." Toward the end of the semester, students have several weeks to read the book, select materials to use in their analyses, and write their papers. After students finish their papers, we spend one or two classes discussing the book and their analvses. I have used this assignment in classes as small as 12 and as large as 41 students. The paper is usually worth 25% of the student's grade. Students' papers tend tlo differ primarily in their thoroughness and accuracy in using course materials to analyze Angelou's development. However, the overall quality of most papers is impressive; the papers are typically more insightful than students' other papers or essay exams perhaps because, as many students claim, the book makes the course topics seem "real." Also encouraging is the fact that, despite having read nearly 200 of these Angelou papers, I frequently encounter truly original connections between Angelou's childhood and course materials. L
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Table 1. Student Responses to the Statement "Rate the Angelou book and assignment in terms of its educational value to you."
sess the personal and spiritual resonance to bring students to worlds beyond their own.
Rating
Number Percentage
References
Excellent
very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Total
94 69
29 21
11 8
2 1
1 1
137 100
Note. The sample consists of students enrolled in six courses.
The assignment develops students' ability to integrate course materials and helps them understand the complex issues of race, gender, and social class in development. One student wrote that the assignment helped her "integrate culture, resiliency, and development in a child 4 years old to junior high." Many others have said the assignment "makes the abstract concrete," and one wrote that it allowed her to "bounce back and forth between the personal and scientific." The Angelou assignment enhances understanding of development, as the high ratings (M = 4.4 of 5) in Table 1 demonstrate. Angelou's childhood account is such a powerful psychological journey for the reader than I am confident students remember much about development because of this book. The potency of the assignment is captured in students' comments. One wrote "I will remember the book and assignment for a very long time," and another said the assignment was "the most rewarding and beneficial I've had in college." In The Call of Stories, Robert Coles (1989) presented an elegant argument for the use of narrative in teaching, especially in the sciences, because as "theorists we lose sight of human particularityM(p. 21). Vitz (1990) asserted that stories are a popular means of communication in all cultures; educators should attend to this "narrative need . . . land1 work with human nature rather than against it" (pp. 716717). I concur. In addition to scientific psychology, teachers might offer students stories that will help them understand development. These stories, like Angelou's, also should pos-
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Angelou, M. (1969). 1 know why the caged bird sings. New York: Bantam. Coles, R. (1989). The call ofstmies: Teaching and the moral imagination. Boston: Houghton MiMin. Fernald, L. D. (1987). Ofwindmills and rope dancing: The instruc. tional value of narrative structures. Teaching of Psychology, 14, 214-216. Gorman, M. E. (1984). Using the Eden Express to teach introductory psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 1 1 , 39-40. Grant, L. (1987). Psychology and literature: A survey of courses. Teaching of Psychology, 14, 86-88. Levine, R. V. (1983). An interdisciplinary course studyingpsychological issues through literature. Teaching of Psychology, 10, 2 14-216. Ramirez, J. V. (1991, November). Using ethnic literature to teach about children's development. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Jose. Vitz, P. (1990). The use of stories in moral development. American Psychologist, 45, 709-720. Werner, E. E. (1984, November). Rksilient children. Young Children, pp. 68-72. Williams, K. G., & Kolupke, J. (1986). Psychology and literature: An interdisciplinaryapproach to the liberal curriculum. Teaching ofPsychology, 13, 59-61.
Notes 1. Portions of this article were presented at the 4th annual conference on the Teaching of Psychology, Springfield, MA, March 1989. 2. I thank former colleagues at Wheelock College for introducing me to Angelou's book and my students for their rich insights about Angelou's development. I also thank Ruth L. Ault, anonymous reviewers, and Robin Jarrell for their comments on an earlier version. 3. Requests for an annotated list of literary sources or reprints should be sent to Chris J. Boyatzis, Department of Child Development, EC 105, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92634-9480.
Teaching of Psychology
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