Cultural and Linguistic Representation in Children’s Storybooks and Early-Grade Learning in Uganda: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Children’s literature is widely recognised as a critical resource for developing early literacy, reading engagement, and identity formation among young learners. In Uganda, however, the implementation of mother-tongue education policies continues to coexist with the widespread use of English-language and foreign-authored storybooks that often reflect cultural contexts different from those of learners. This systematic literature review examines the influence of cultural and linguistic representation in children’s literature on literacy outcomes among early-grade learners in Uganda and comparable African contexts. The review synthesises evidence from empirical studies, policy documents, and scholarly literature on culturally responsive literacy, multilingual education, and children’s literature. The findings indicate that children demonstrate higher levels of reading comprehension, engagement, participation, and motivation when exposed to storybooks that reflect familiar languages, cultural experiences, local settings, and community values. Culturally relevant texts provide opportunities for learners to connect classroom learning with their lived realities, thereby strengthening both literacy development and cultural identity. The review further reveals that effective implementation of culturally responsive literacy is constrained by limited availability of local-language reading materials, inadequate teacher preparation, centralised textbook procurement systems, and persistent societal preference for English as a language of educational and economic advancement. These factors contribute to a gap between national language-in-education policy and classroom practice. Despite these challenges, emerging innovations in local-language publishing, multilingual digital storybooks, community-based literacy initiatives, and home-school literacy partnerships demonstrate considerable potential for improving literacy outcomes in multilingual settings. The review concludes that culturally and linguistically responsive children’s literature is essential for equitable and meaningful literacy development in Uganda. It recommends increased investment in local-language publishing, teacher professional development in culturally responsive pedagogy, stronger integration of home literacy practices, and improved alignment between education policy, curriculum, and classroom resources to support sustainable literacy achievement and identity affirmation among young learners.