Child Care and Early Education Research Connections

Skip to main content

Content not form predicts oral language comprehension: The influence of the medium on preschoolers' story understanding

Description:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of digital and non-digital storybooks on low-income preschoolers' oral language comprehension. Employing a within-subject design on 38 four-year-olds from a Head Start program, we compared the effect of medium on preschoolers' target words and comprehension of stories. Four digital storybooks were adapted and printed for read-alouds. Children were randomly read two stories on the digital platform, and two by the assessors. Following the story, children completed vocabulary and comprehension tasks, and a brief motivation checklist. We found no significant differences across medium; children comprehended equally well regardless of whether the story was read digitally or in person. However, using repeated ANOVA measures, we found a significant main effect of the story read. This research indicates that the content of the book rather than its form predicts story comprehension. Implications for using digital media in the preschool years are discussed. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
United States

- You May Also Like

These resources share similarities with the current selection.

The effects of storytelling and story reading on the oral language complexity and story comprehension of young children

Reports & Papers

A curriculum-based measure of language comprehension for preschoolers: Reliability and validity of the Assessment of Story Comprehension

Reports & Papers

Early oral language comprehension, task orientation, and foundational reading skills as predictors of grade 3 reading comprehension

Reports & Papers
Release: 'v1.61.0' | Built: 2024-04-23 23:03:38 EDT