PROJECT ARIE, 2007 subsidy award (ARIE 00003), provided by AGAUR (The Agency for University and Research Subsidy Management; The Catalan Government – The Department of Innovation, Universities and Business), by the Resolution of the 6th of February 2008.

“The Literary Interpretation of Picturebooks by Immigrant Children”

Leading Investigator: Teresa Colomer

Other investigators: Artur Noguerol, Cecilia Silva-Díaz, Ana María Margallo, Josep Paré, Juan Sánchez Enciso, Núria Vilà, Mireia Manresa, Montserrat Correig, Martina Fittipaldi, Montserrat Pérez.

Total granted: 9.000€

The aim of this research is to explore the effects that literature may have –through reading picturebooks- in three processes: the learning process of Catalan language, the interpretation of complex works, and to project the children’s own immigration experiences. This objective fits with those of a previous project in the same line of research.

The specific objectives of this research are the following:

1. To study the answer of children’s books edited by publishing houses to the new phenomenon of immigration from the perspective of certain kind of books (bilingual, belonging to other cultures, etc.) and from the perspective of values linked to this subject.
2. To reflect on the new teaching challenge in regard to literary practices in the classroom.
3. To explore how literature can integrate and welcome recent newcomers through the debate about books and new visual and written texts.
4. To explore the way that artistic representations on immigration can encourage intercultural life between native and immigrant students.
5. To explore the way that picturebooks can be used to encourage the local language through discussion with recently arrived students
6. To find similarities and differences in researches in different countries and different immigrant communities in order to obtain research implications in the educational area as well as in integrative and social policies.