Poster #31 - Oral Storytelling in Kindergarten Classrooms and Latine Children’s Language and Literacy Development

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

For young children, the transition to formal schooling represents a critical time to draw meaningful connections between the classroom and the home, by incorporating culturally responsive-sustaining classroom practices (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, 2016). One way that teachers can build on children’s home culture is through integrating oral storytelling, a common practice across many linguistically and culturally diverse communities (Heath, 1982; Riojas-Cortez et al., 2003). In Latine/x communities, for example, caregivers often use oral stories that include consejos, or advice, to strengthen interpersonal connections and teach cultural and social lessons (Riojas-Cortez et al., 2003). Moreover, the oral stories expose children to rich extended discourse (Cline & Necochea, 2003; Delgado-Gaitan, 2004). In fact, research examining the effects of oral storytelling on children’s learning and development demonstrates that it is an important context that supports children’s language and literacy skills (Lenhart et al., 2018, 2020; Miller & Pennycuff, 2008). Nevertheless, little is known about how classroom-based oral storytelling might support Latine/x children’s language and literacy development as they transition to elementary school. As such, the current study explored the impact of a classroom oral storytelling program on Latine/x kindergarteners’ language and literacy skills.

Method
Participants included 165 Latine/x children (Mage = 62.94 months, SD = 4.02; 50% girls) from 25 classrooms. Fifty-five percent of the children (n = 91) were enrolled in classrooms where their teacher completed training and was certified in a culturally-grounded oral storytelling program. Teachers were asked to share oral stories with their class twice a week for approximately 6 months, and to engage their class in pre- and post-telling discussions. The remaining children (n = 74) were enrolled in business-as-usual control classrooms. In the early winter, children’s baseline language skills were assessed using the story recall and passage comprehension subscales of the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey - Revised (Woodcock et al., 2005). Children’s outcomes were assessed in the late spring using the same subscales of the Woodcock-Muñoz, as well as through sharing a set of personal narratives elicited using the conversational map (see Peterson & McCabe, 1983). Children’s narratives were audio recorded and later transcribed and verified using a standardized system (CHAT; MacWhinney, 2000). Narratives were coded for three indices of narrative coherence (see Reese et al., 2011): context (i.e., orienting the listener in time and place), chronology (i.e., ordering actions along a chronological timeline), and theme (i.e., elaborating on a topic). In addition, using CLAN programs (MacWhinney, 2000), narrative length and vocabulary diversity were captured.

Preliminary Results
Analyses are still ongoing, but preliminary findings suggest that Latine/x kindergarteners in oral storytelling classrooms demonstrate greater growth in their passage comprehension scores, as measured by the Woodcock-Muñoz, when compared to children in control classrooms. Further, children in oral storytelling classrooms appear to include more detailed and sophisticated context when sharing personal narratives, as compared to children in control classrooms. Findings will be discussed in relation to the policy and practice implications for integrating culturally relevant oral storytelling practices in kindergarten classrooms serving children from diverse backgrounds.

Authors

• Adina Schick, New York University
  Presenting Author

• Cassie Wuest, New York University

• Nathalia Sanchez, New York University

• Gigliana Melzi, New York University