Child and Adolescent Cultural-Social Research

Child and Adolescent Cultural-Social Research

A Study and Analysis of the Presence of Children’s and Young Adult Literature in Secondary School Textbooks: Patterns and Implications

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
مهدی محمدی 1
Zohreh Molavi 2
1 Mehdi Mohammadi , Associate Professor, Faculty Member, Department of Information Science and Epistemology, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.(Corresponding author) Email: mahdi.mohammadi203@gmail.com
2 M. A in Knowledge and Information Science, University of Qom, Qom , Iran. Email: z.molavi1995@gmail.com
10.22083/cssca.2026.542781.1086
Abstract
Introduction: Children’s and young adult literature refers to literary works and poetry that possess artistic and educational value and are intended for children and adolescents. This body of literature includes folkloric forms such as lullabies, nursery rhymes, and folktales, as well as literary works such as stories, poems, and plays created specifically for these audiences.
The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which different genres of children’s and young adult literature are represented in lower secondary (Grades 7–9) and upper secondary (Grades 10–12) school textbooks.
Methods:This applied study employed a quantitative content analysis approach. The statistical population consisted of all 87 textbooks used in lower secondary (Grades 7–9) and upper secondary (Grades 10–12) education during the 2023–2024 academic year. All textbooks were examined using census sampling. The unit of analysis was each independent literary text (poem, story, folktale, anecdote, or play). Data were collected using a researcher-developed checklist.
Findings: As shown in Table 1, 105, 116, and 128 instances of children’s and young adult literature were identified in Grades 7, 8, and 9, respectively, compared with 455, 415, and 273 instances in Grades 10, 11, and 12. Grade 10 had the highest number of literary items (455). Overall, upper secondary textbooks contained substantially more literary content than lower secondary textbooks. Table 2 shows that poetry overwhelmingly dominated other genres, accounting for 780 items (68.2%) in upper secondary education, compared with 133 stories (11.6%). A similar pattern was observed in lower secondary education, with 137 poems and 75 stories. Drama was almost entirely absent, with only one instance, while folktales accounted for only 16 items, indicating limited genre diversity. Among folktales, modern folktales were the most common category.
Table 4 indicates that historical stories constituted the largest category (73 items, 35.1%), followed by philosophical (37) and religious stories (29), suggesting a predominantly educational and moral orientation. The limited representation of romantic and animal stories further indicates restricted thematic diversity. Table 5 shows that students encountered a relatively limited range of authors: 12 authors in lower secondary and 18 in upper secondary textbooks. Ali Shariati and Nader Ebrahimi were the most frequently represented authors, while 50 stories had unidentified authors. As shown in Table 6, Saadi was the most frequently represented poet (176 poems), followed by Rumi (104) and Hafez (99). Classical Iranian poets and authors, particularly those from the 7th, 8th, and 14th centuries, dominated the textbooks. Foreign authors from the United States, India, and Pakistan were also represented, but to a lesser extent. The findings further reveal a substantial gender imbalance, with male poets and writers represented far more frequently than female authors, and female poets being almost entirely absent. Overall, the findings point to limitations in genre, thematic, authorial, contemporary, and gender diversity in the representation of children’s and young adult literature in secondary school textbooks.
Conclusion: The placement of literary content in marginal sections rather than in the main body of textbooks suggests that children’s and young adult literature is treated primarily as supplementary rather than as a core component of educational content. Although efforts have been made to incorporate literary content into textbooks, the findings indicate limitations in terms of diversity, age appropriateness, and genre balance. Greater attention should therefore be given to balancing poetry and prose, expanding genre diversity—including drama, folktales, satire, and contemporary literature—increasing the representation of contemporary and world literature, enhancing the visibility of female writers and poets, and achieving a more balanced distribution of literary content across grade levels. Achieving these objectives requires collaboration among specialists in children’s and young adult literature, developmental psychologists, and curriculum planners in the design and revision of school textbooks.
Keywords
Children'
s and Young adult literature, textbooks, secondary level, story, poetry
Subjects
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