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Storytelling as an approach to evaluate the child's level of speech development
Ljubica Marjanovič Umek, Urška Fekonja & Simona Kranjc
Full text (pdf) | Views: 26 | Written in Slovene. | Published: May 13, 2004
Abstract: Both in developmental psychology and in linguistics, the child's storytelling is an interesting topic of research from the point of view of evaluating the child's level of speech development, especially of its pragmatic component, and from the point of view of teaching and learning in the preschool period. In the present study, children's storytelling in different situational contexts was analyzed and evaluated: with a picture book without any text, after listening to a text from a picture book, and after a suggested story beginning (ie., with the introductory sentence given to them). The sample included children of three age groups, approximately 4, 6 and 8 years; each age group had approximately the same numbers of boys and girls. A total of over 300 stories were collected, which were subsequently analyzed and evaluated using a set of story developmental level criteria. Two key criteria were used: story coherence and cohesion. Comparisons by age and gender, as well as by context of storytelling, show significant developmental differences in story content and structure for different age groups, and the important role of storytelling context. Differences in storytelling between boys and girls did not prove statistically significant. The findings also suggest new options and approaches for further stimulations of speech development within preschool and primary school curricula might be considered.
Keywords: storytelling, preschool children, coherence, cohesion, developmental levels
