Bibliotherapy. Supporting Children's Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic Through Picture Books

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Part I: Theoretical Framework

2. (Children’s) Picture Books

2.1 E-Books

2.2 Tender Topics in (Children’s) Picture Books

2.3. Critical Thinking Through (Children’s) Picture Books

2.4 (Children’s) Mental Health

2.4.1 (Children’s) Mental Health and Covid-19

3. Bibliotherapy

4. Covid-19 and Its Consequences

4.1 Publishing During a Pandemic

4.2 Covid-19 Topics Affecting Children

4.3 Covid-19 and CLIL

Part II: Analysis of Selected (Children’s) Picture Books

5. Excursion: Ontology of Reality and Postmodern Picture Books

6. Method and Procedure

7. Introduction of Selected (Children’s) Picture Books

8. Analysis

9. Results

9.1 Response - Results

9.2 Mental Health - Results

9.3 Pandemic - Results

9.4 Messages - Results

10. Evaluation

10.1 Findings and Discussion

10.1.1 Response - Findings

10.1.2 Mental Health - Findings

10.1.3 Pandemic - Findings

10.1.4 Messages - Findings

10.2 Limitations

10.3 Research questions

11. Conclusion (incl. recommendation)

Research Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis investigates the implementation of bibliotherapy and conducts a qualitative content analysis on how children's mental health was supported and improved through picture books during the Covid-19 pandemic. The primary research question explores how children's mental health can be effectively supported through these literary media in times of crisis.

• The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children's mental health.
• The role of picture books as tools for bibliotherapy and emotional support.
• Analysis of coping strategies and mental health representations in contemporary children's literature.
• Critical thinking and the discussion of "tender topics" through picture books.
• The intersection of pandemic-related crises and pedagogical support.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1. Introduction: Presents the background of children's mental health during the pandemic and establishes bibliotherapy as a core research approach.

2. (Children’s) Picture Books: Defines the nature of picture books, their history, and their role in discussing tender topics and fostering critical thinking.

3. Bibliotherapy: Explores the concept, history, and mechanism of bibliotherapy as a non-pharmacological technique for mental well-being.

4. Covid-19 and Its Consequences: Outlines the origins of the pandemic, its global impact, and the shift in publishing trends toward issue-based children's literature.

5. Excursion: Ontology of Reality and Postmodern Picture Books: Discusses the philosophical differences between discourse and content analysis regarding social reality.

6. Method and Procedure: Details the inductive content analysis methodology and the rationale for selecting specific picture books for the study.

7. Introduction of Selected (Children’s) Picture Books: Provides short introductions and summaries of the five selected picture books analyzed in the research.

8. Analysis: Explains the development and structure of the coding sheet used for the empirical part of the study.

9. Results: Presents the categorized findings regarding response variables, mental health, and pandemic-specific themes.

10. Evaluation: Discusses the findings, limitations, and methodological validity of the research outcomes.

11. Conclusion (incl. recommendation): Synthesizes the core findings and offers recommendations for the integration of bibliotherapy in educational policies.

Keywords

Bibliotherapy, Covid-19, Mental Health, Children's Literature, Picture Books, Coping Strategies, Resilience, Content Analysis, Emotional Support, Pandemic, Education, Childhood Development, Crisis Intervention, Social-Emotional Learning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary focus of this thesis?

The thesis investigates how children's mental health can be supported during the Covid-19 pandemic using bibliotherapy and specifically selected picture books.

What are the main thematic areas covered?

The study covers the impact of the pandemic on children, the therapeutic benefits of reading, mental health coping strategies, and how to communicate difficult "tender" topics.

What is the central research question?

The primary question is: How can children's mental health be supported through picture books to feel well in crisis?

Which methodology is employed in this research?

The author uses a qualitative, inductive content analysis to label and group key points from the selected children's picture books.

What does the research cover in the main section?

The main part of the thesis links theoretical concepts of bibliotherapy and mental health with a practical content analysis of five specific, post-2018 picture books.

Which keywords best characterize this work?

Key terms include Bibliotherapy, Mental Health, Covid-19, Picture Books, and Coping Strategies.

Why did the author choose picture books published between 2018 and 2021?

The author focused on this timeframe to maintain the relevance of findings regarding the ever-changing nature of mental health during the pandemic years.

How is intercoder reliability ensured?

The author trained a volunteer to code the books independently; any disagreements were resolved using a third coder to ensure the accuracy of the final results.