SLP Student Clinician Consideration of Representation When Choosing Books for Speech-Language Pathology Services

Abstract

Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) work to support children's speech and language development. The purpose of this research is to understand the factors which SLP student clinicians report to influence the selection of children’s books they use when providing speech-language pathology services. Books used within SLP sessions should include high-quality representation across a variety of aspects of identity, as the use of culturally relevant, diverse literature serves to dismantle stereotypes, promote self-efficacy, and help children develop a sense of belonging across identities (Harris & Owen Van Horne, 2021b). A survey will be used to answer the research questions developed by reviewing previous literature on the topic (Bishop, 1990; Harris & Owen Van Horne, 2021a; Harris & Van Horne, 2020b). SLP student clinicians will be asked to describe the factors they consider when choosing books to use as a part of their treatment sessions. Responses to the survey questions will be coded to determine the aspects of books student clinicians included in their answers. Results of this study will help graduate schools understand the degree to which student clinicians are considering representation when choosing books for speech-language pathology and the factors related to their choices, helping them to improve their training programs.