Proceedings of The 6th Global Conference on Women’s Studies
Year: 2024
DOI:
[PDF]
Inclusive Friendship in Heidi and Its Educational Value to Girlhood Growth
Jingjing Hou and Xiangyi Hou
ABSTRACT:
The friendship between Heidi and Clara in Johanna Spyri’s “Heidi” exemplifies the profound educational value of inclusive relationships in the growth of young girls. Clara, a wheelchair user, and Heidi, an orphan from the Alps, develop a friendship that transcends societal expectations and physical limitations. The novel presents friendship as a vital component of education, teaching tolerance, empathy, and cooperation. This paper delves into the educational dynamics of this inclusive transformative friendship. It employs a theoretical framework rooted in inclusive education principles and Vygotsky’s social development theory to explore how Heidi and Clara’s friendship serves as a microcosm for inclusive educational practices. The paper explores how their friendship aids in their cognitive and social-emotional development, encourages mutual growth, resilience, as well as empowerment, and how their friendship models a microcosm of an inclusive society. It emphasizes how their bond challenges and reshapes the narrative around disability and education, providing valuable insights into contemporary discussions on diversity, inclusion, and the representation of disabilities in literature and education. This study extends the discourse on the importance of inclusive relationships in fostering an equitable learning environment and advocates for the integration of these principles into modern educational curricula to support the holistic development of all students. This study aims to contribute to the discourse on how positive, inclusive relationships can empower young girls, fostering resilience and a sense of community. It provides an analysis framed by social learning theory, demonstrating how such friendships can teach empathy, problem-solving, and adaptability—skills crucial for contemporary girlhood education.
keywords: inclusive friendship, girlhood growth, classic literature analysis, social development theory