Let the Caged Bird Sing: Using Literature to Teach
Developmental Psychology
Chris J. Boyatzis
California State University-Fullerton
Reading lists of developmental psychology courses are replete with
scientific theory and research. Narrative material from literature
can supplement this theory and research by elucidatingpsychological concepts with real-life examples, while deepening students'
appreciation for the complexity and diversity of development. In
several courses I have used Maya Angelou's (1969) I Know
Why the Caged Bird Sings, which is highly efective at illustrating many child development topics: deq~elopmentof self-concept
and self-esteem, ego resilience, industry versus inferiority, effects
of abuse, parenting styles, sibling and fricendship relations, gender
issues, cognitive development, puberty, and identity formation in
adolescence. Students react very positively to the book and to a
paper in which they analyze Angelou's development using theory
and research from the course.
The benefit of using narrative in literature to teach psychological concepts has received empirical confirmation
(e.g., Femald, 1987; Gorman, 1984; Levine, 1983;
Ramirez, 1991; Williams & Kolupke, 1986). For several
years, I have used literature in my child development courses
to help students elucidate the broader psychological issues
treated in theory and research. Although literature alone is
not adequate, it complements psychology and is compatible
with theory and research. Literature's value is precisely that
it uses personal, subjective experiences. Stories vivify theories, which students often find too abstract, as well as "humanize the stark quantitative findings of psychological research" (Grant, 1987, p. 86). Literature is also important
because it can depict diversity in development, especially
cultural diversity. It can help students appreciate broad,
complex influences (e. g., culture, social class, geography,
and historical era) as well as universal or culturally specific
factors.
I have used Angelou's (1969) remarkable childhood autobiography, 1 Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in my sophomore- and junior-level developmental psychology classes
to illustrate topics we study via scien~t~fic
research and theory. Year after year, students claim that this book is one of
the most valuable educational and personal experiences in
the course. The book recounts Angelou's childhood from
the preschool through adolescent years. The first half of the
book spans her early and middle childhood and offers examples of many topics: a sense of industry versus inferiority,
the development of self-concept anjd self-esteem, the impact of abuse, the growth of logic and concrete operational
thought, child-rearing styles and family relations, gender
issues, friendship and the "society of children," and the
effects of different environments on development. The second half of the book is a compelling history of the chal-
lenges of puberty and identity formation in adolescence; it
illustrates family issues, functions of the peer group, emergence of formal operational thought, formation of a sexual
identity, exploration of vocational interests, and, ultimatelv,
, ~arenthood.
Students write a paper following insltructions to "discuss
how Angelou's childhood experiences exemplify two or
three aspects or topics of development. Use course materials
(text, supplementary readings, class notes, films, handouts)
to build a framework of theory and research to analyze Angelouls development." In short, students make connections
between the general and the particular: They use the course
to explain Angelou's development and use Angelou's experiences to illustrate the course. Students cite course materials
in their paper and use quotes and passages from Angelou's
book to illustrate their ideas.
Many students focus on the topics of self-esteem and resilience. Angelou's book is, among other things, a case study
of resilience (Werner. 1984). In fact. one student said the
book "correGonded so well ;o work i n resiliency, it seemed
as if Angelou read the research before writing her story."
Other popular topics students choose are friendship and sibling relations, parent-child relations, gender issues, and
cultural and ethnic influences on development. Six to eight
pages is an appropriate length for the assignment.
I have used the Angelou book as a final assignment and
also as an integrated one throughout the course. Although
both formats have been successful, the course-ending assignment has been most effective at synthesizingcourse material.
One student wrote, "the book and vaver was a marvelous
way to bring together concepts we discussed all semester,"
and another said it was "a powerful culmination of the
course." Toward the end of the semester, students have several weeks to read the book, select materials to use in their
analyses, and write their papers. After students finish their
papers, we spend one or two classes discussing the book and
their analvses.
I have used this assignment in classes as small as 12 and as
large as 41 students. The paper is usually worth 25% of the
student's grade. Students' papers tend tlo differ primarily in
their thoroughness and accuracy in using course materials to
analyze Angelou's development. However, the overall quality of most papers is impressive; the papers are typically more
insightful than students' other papers or essay exams perhaps
because, as many students claim, the book makes the course
topics seem "real." Also encouraging is the fact that, despite
having read nearly 200 of these Angelou papers, I frequently
encounter truly original connections between Angelou's
childhood and course materials.
L
Vol. 19, No. 4, December 1992
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Table 1. Student Responses to the Statement "Rate the
Angelou book and assignment in terms of its
educational value to you."
sess the personal and spiritual resonance to bring students to
worlds beyond their own.
Rating
Number
Percentage
References
Excellent
very
Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Total
94
69
29
21
11
8
2
1
1
1
137
100
Note. The sample consists of students enrolled in six courses.
The assignment develops students' ability to integrate
course materials and helps them understand the complex
issues of race, gender, and social class in development. One
student wrote that the assignment helped her "integrate
culture, resiliency, and development in a child 4 years old to
junior high." Many others have said the assignment "makes
the abstract concrete," and one wrote that it allowed her to
"bounce back and forth between the personal and scientific." The Angelou assignment enhances understanding of
development, as the high ratings (M = 4.4 of 5) in Table 1
demonstrate.
Angelou's childhood account is such a powerful psychological journey for the reader than I am confident students
remember much about development because of this book.
The potency of the assignment is captured in students' comments. One wrote "I will remember the book and assignment for a very long time," and another said the assignment
was "the most rewarding and beneficial I've had in college."
In The Call of Stories, Robert Coles (1989) presented an
elegant argument for the use of narrative in teaching, especially in the sciences, because as "theorists we lose sight of
human particularityM(p. 21). Vitz (1990) asserted that stories are a popular means of communication in all cultures;
educators should attend to this "narrative need . . . land1
work with human nature rather than against it" (pp. 716717). I concur. In addition to scientific psychology, teachers
might offer students stories that will help them understand
development. These stories, like Angelou's, also should pos-
2
Angelou, M. (1969). 1 know why the caged bird sings. New York:
Bantam.
Coles, R. (1989). The call ofstmies: Teaching and the moral imagination. Boston: Houghton MiMin.
Fernald, L. D. (1987). Ofwindmills and rope dancing: The instruc.
tional value of narrative structures. Teaching of Psychology, 14,
214-216.
Gorman, M. E. (1984). Using the Eden Express to teach introductory psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 1 1 , 39-40.
Grant, L. (1987). Psychology and literature: A survey of courses.
Teaching of Psychology, 14, 86-88.
Levine, R. V. (1983). An interdisciplinary course studyingpsychological issues through literature. Teaching of Psychology, 10, 2 14-216.
Ramirez, J. V. (1991, November). Using ethnic literature to teach
about children's development. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Jose.
Vitz, P. (1990). The use of stories in moral development. American
Psychologist, 45, 709-720.
Werner, E. E. (1984, November). Rksilient children. Young Children, pp. 68-72.
Williams, K. G., & Kolupke, J. (1986). Psychology and literature:
An interdisciplinaryapproach to the liberal curriculum. Teaching
ofPsychology, 13, 59-61.
Notes
1. Portions of this article were presented at the 4th annual conference on the Teaching of Psychology, Springfield, MA, March
1989.
2. I thank former colleagues at Wheelock College for introducing
me to Angelou's book and my students for their rich insights
about Angelou's development. I also thank Ruth L. Ault, anonymous reviewers, and Robin Jarrell for their comments on an
earlier version.
3. Requests for an annotated list of literary sources or reprints
should be sent to Chris J. Boyatzis, Department of Child Development, EC 105, California State University, Fullerton, CA
92634-9480.
Teaching of Psychology
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