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Effects of Story Reading on Language
Author(s) -
Vivas Eleonora
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
language learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.882
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1467-9922
pISSN - 0023-8333
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1996.tb01234.x
Subject(s) - psychology , read aloud , repetition (rhetorical device) , reading aloud , linguistics , sentence , comprehension , reading comprehension , reading (process) , philosophy
This article reports the results of an experimental investigation of the effects of a systematic, story‐reading‐aloud program on some language variables in 222 preschool and first‐grade children. They were randomly assigned to 3 groups: 2 experimental and 1 control. The program was carried out by the parents, at home, for the children in the Home‐Based Experimental group and by the teacher, at school, for the School‐Based Experimental children. I assessed the effects of the programs both on language comprehension (the understanding of syntactic structures and story comprehension) and on expressive language (syntactic structures and sentence repetition). Results indicated that both preschool and first‐grade children significantly increased their language comprehension and expression when listening to stories read aloud, either at home or at school. The program is discussed in terms of its usefulness in language stimulation and as an instrument for prevention of language difficulties.