Developmental Psychology · 1999 · 287 citations · 33 references
EducationEarly Childhood EducationLiteracy EducationChild DevelopmentEarly LiteracyReading DevelopmentEarly Literacy DevelopmentEarly Literacy SkillsEmergent LiteracyEmergent Reading SkillsLiteracy DevelopmentReadingEarly Childhood Literacy DevelopmentEarly Comprehension SkillsEarly Reading AcquisitionEarly Reading DevelopmentEmergent Literacy In AdultsPerformance Style ComparisonReading CompetenceReceptive Vocabulary Size
The authors assessed the relative benefits of 3 styles of adult book reading for preschoolers' emergent literacy. A describer style focused on describing pictures during the reading, a comprehender style focused on story meaning, and a performance-oriented style introduced the book and discussed story meaning on completion. Forty-eight 4-year-olds were randomly assigned to receive 1 of the 3 reading styles over a 6-week period. Pretests and posttests measured children's receptive vocabulary, print, and story comprehension skills. A describer style of reading resulted in the greatest overall benefits for children's vocabulary and print skills, but a performance-oriented style was also beneficial when children's initial skill levels were taken into account. Future book-reading interventions should be tailored to children's initial skill levels.
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