Drama During Storytime Supports Preschooler’s Understanding of Story Character Feeling States

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Impactful Arts Learning (Table 4)

Abstract

Reading comprehension is foundational for future academic success. The ability to inference is critical in in supporting comprehension, and many young children struggle to develop this skill. The current study examines how a drama-based instructional (DBI) intervention supports inference generation about characters’ feelings during preschool storytime. Intervention students participated in a drama-based storytime, while control students heard the story in a traditional storytime. Students who participated in a drama-based storytime recalled more character feeling states compared to their control group peers, particularly for 3- and 4-years-olds. Intervention students also used their bodies more during story retellings. DBI during storytime may support young children who struggle with inferencing skills and promote their literacy and language development, better preparing them for kindergarten.

Authors

• Lauren van Huisstede, Arizona State University

• Scott C. Marley, Arizona State University

• Katie Bernstein, Arizona State University

• Melissa Pierce-Rivera, Midwestern University

• Annette Schmidt, Arizona State University

• Jenny Millinger, Childsplay Theatre Company

• Michael F. Kelley, Arizona State University

• Kathryn Brantley, Childsplay, Inc

• Jennifer Gantwerker, Childsplay Theatre Company