Date of Award
1991
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to look at the value of retelling stories and interactive experiences as procedures to facilitate comprehension of story text and oral language development. This study investigated: (1) the effect of retelling stories on children's sense of story structure and oral language complexity; and (2) the effect of the use of interactive experiences such as puppets, flannel boards, role playing, or verbalizations related to the story book readings on children's sense of story structure and oral language. The researcher was the teacher for all the kindergarten students in the study and read the same stories to all the children. Subjects selected to retell the stories in the two teaching strategies (participating in interactive experiences, not engaging in interactive experiences) retold the stories to the researcher on an individual basis. The story retelling samples were evaluated on two separate criteria: inclusion of story structure elements and the average length per T-unit. Statistical tests to determine the likelihood of differences in comprehension of story text and oral language complexity were conducted. Analyses of variance revealed that students who had the opportunity to retell stories heard in class included more story elements in their retelling narratives than children who did not retell stories heard. There was no significant difference in comprehension of story text in the retelling samples of kindergarten students who participated in interactive experiences. Also, no significant difference was found in the average length per T-unit in the narrative samples of students who engaged in interactive experiences or retold stories. The findings of this investigation supported the hypothesis that engaging in story retelling promotes comprehension of story text. It was evident that the kindergarten children who retold stories had a set of expectations about what a story is and frequently mentioned relevant details.
Recommended Citation
Greathouse, Noelle Joan, "The Effects Of Retelling Stories On Comprehension And The Language Growth Of Kindergarten Children" (1991). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2112.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/2112