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Dissertation Information for Miriam Martinez

NAME:
- Miriam Martinez

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- [No Discipline Recorded]

SCHOOL:
- University of Texas, Austin (USA) (1983)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: YOUNG CHILDREN'S VERBAL RESPONSES TO LITERATURE IN PARENT-CHILD STORY TIME INTERACTIONS

Abstract: To gain insights into the foundations of story comprehension, this investigation described the nature of preschoolers' verbal responses to literature during parent-child story time interactions and explored selected factors which research suggested were related to these responses.

The researcher employed a case study approach. Subjects were four preschoolers, each of whom participated in the study with one parent. The major source of data for each parent-child pair was a series of 45 audio recordings of story time interactions that centered around stories supplied by the researcher that were unfamiliar and familiar to the children and stories from the children's personal collections.

Four units of analysis were identified: (1) utterance; (2) episode; (3) topic unit; and (4) non-story talk unit. These units were classified using systems modified or developed for use in the study. Utterances were classified according to contributing participant and type of talk (story talk, non-story talk). Story talk utterances were classified according to form, type, and focus. Episodes were classified according to contributing participant and language function. Both topic units and non-story talk units were classified according to initiating participant. The first type of analysis for each case study was quantitative and primarily involved deriving percentages to describe behaviors of interest. The second type was qualitative and was used to more fully characterize participants' behaviors. Findings were compared across case studies.

Findings included the following: (1) There were major differences in the general characteristics of story time interactions (e.g., quantity of story talk) across case studies. (2) While the children were predominantly narrational responders, they contributed a broad range of responses that were, across children, similar in form, type, focus, and qualitative characteristics. (3) The form and focus of the children's responses varied when listening to unfamiliar stories. (4) The response profile of each child paralled the profile of his parent, and some distinct differences were apparent across pairs. (5) The language of the children primarily functioned to seek information and share reactions. (6) Parents primarily used language to respond to questions. (7) Evidence was found that the functions served by parent and child language helped the child construct meaning.

MPACT Scores for Miriam Martinez

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2009-05-25 19:29:13

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