Early development of narrative skills

Author(s): Sperry, D. E.

Journal/Book: Cognitive Develop. 1996; 11: 355 Chestnut St, Norwood, NJ 07648. Ablex Publ Corp. 443-465.

Abstract: This ethnographic study of 8 African American toddlers and their families focused on the children's productive competence with regard to various types of naturally occurring narrativelike conversation. The notion of the emergence of narrative competence is examined, and a definition is posited which incorporates minimal requirements for child participation within the fundamental essence of narrative structure. Developmental evidence is used to argue for an order of emergence between fictional and temporal event production, which bears on Nelson's Generalized Event Representation (GER) account of cognitive processing. Qualitative interpretations of the quantitatively derived patterns illustrate the merits of combining both approaches in data analysis. Finally, the creation of a socioculturally sensitive account underscores the importance for theory construction of pursuing research from a comparative, cross-cultural perspective.

Note: Article LL Sperry, Indiana State Univ, Dept Educ, Terre Haute, IN 47809 USA

Keyword(s): SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION; CHILDHOOD; CHILDREN; TALK

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