The Pedagogical Value of Folk Literature as a Cultural Resource for Social Studies Instruction: An Analysis of Folktales from Denmark

Abstract

Social studies teachers commonly use folktales as cultural resources in the classroom because they possess a “mirror quality” (Nelli, 1985) that reflects characteristics of the cultural groups within which they originated. This article reports findings from a content analysis of a sample of twenty two Danish folktales. The folktales were examined to determine the extent to which they mirror three themes that are central to Danish culture: humanitarianism, egalitarianism, and “outward loss, inward gain.” While these themes were present in the folktales to some degree, there were also cultural inconsistencies regarding social equity, economic activity, and the status of women. The authors recommend that social studies educators critically examine folk literature and other instructional resources for their pedagogical value before using them in the classroom.