Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Research Approaches to Narrative, Literacy, and Education

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Research Methods in Language and Education

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

Abstract

Across cultures, oral narratives are woven into the fabric of everyday events and interactions. We tell stories to our peers as a way to establish and maintain friendships; caregivers tell stories to their children as a means to entertain and educate; and at school children and teachers share stories in the process of acquiring literacy. Narrative is a genre of oral discourse that combines various linguistic, cognitive, and social skills. Children’s narrative development emerges from the early conversations between the child and adult caregivers, and their early narrative skills are predictive of various abilities related to future school success. This brief review synthesizes past and current research on children’s oral narrative development and the connections between narrative abilities and other skills necessary for educational success. The review ends with a discussion of the challenges in conducting research with children’s oral narratives, as well as future directions in the application of narrative work to educational interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 289.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 449.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anstatt, T. (2008). Aspect and tense in storytelling by Russian, German and bilingual children. Russian Linguistics, 32, 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berman, R. A., & Slobin, D. I. (1994). Relating events in narrative. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caspe, M. (2009). Low-income Latino mothers’ booksharing styles and children’s emergent literacy development. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24, 306–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cazden, C. B. (1988). Classroom discourse. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Common Sense Media. (2013). Zero to eight: Children’s media use in America 2013. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-to-eight-childrens-media-use-in-america-2013. Accessed 2 June 2015.

  • Curenton, S. (2011). Understanding the landscapes of stories: The association between preschoolers’ narrative comprehension and production skills and cognitive abilities. Early Child Development and Care, 181(6), 791–808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devine, R. T., & Hughes, C. (2014). Relations between false belief understanding and executive function in early childhood: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 85(5), 1777–1794.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, A. (2012). Activities and programs that improve children’s executive functions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(5), 335–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinson, D. K., & Tabors, P. O. (2001). Beginning literacy with language: Young children learning at home and school. Baltimore: Brookes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández, C. (2013). Mindful storytellers: Emerging pragmatics and theory of mind development. First Language, 33, 20–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fivush, R. (2011). The development of autobiographical memory. Annual Review of Psychology, 62(5), 559–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fivush, R., & Haden, C. A. (2003). Autobiographical memory and the construction of a narrative self: Developmental and cultural perspectives. Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fivush, R., Haden, C. A., & Reese, E. (2006). Elaborating on elaborations: Role of maternal reminiscing style in cognitive and socioemotional development. Child Development, 77(6), 1568–1588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friend, M., & Bates, R. P. (2014). The union of narrative and executive function: Different but complementary. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 469. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gamannossi, B. A., & Pinto, G. (2014). Theory of mind and language of mind in narratives: Developmental trends from kindergarten to primary school. First Language, 34(3), 262–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guernsey, L., Levine, M., Chiong, C., Severns, M. (2012). Pioneering literacy in the digital wild west: Empowering parents and educators. http://gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/GLR_TechnologyGuide_final.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2015.

  • Haden, C. A., Jant, E. A., Hoffman, P. C., Marcus, M., Geddes, J., & Gaskins, S. (2014). Supporting family conversations and children’s STEM learning in a children’s museum. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29, 333–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heilmann, J., Miller, J. F., & Nockerts, A. (2010). Sensitivity of narrative organization measures using retells produced by young school-age children. Language Testing, 27(4), 603–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, C., & Leekam, S. (2004). What are the links between theory of mind and social relations? Review, reflections and new directions for studies of typical and atypical development. Social Development, 13, 590–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Justice, L. M., Bowles, R., Pence, K., & Gosse, C. (2010). A scalable tool for assessing children’s language abilities within a narrative context: The NAP. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 218–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Labov, W., & Waletzky, J. (1967). Narrative analysis: Oral versions of personal experience. In J. Helm (Ed.), Essays on the verbal and visual arts (pp. 12–44). Seattle: University of Washington Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leyva, D., Berrocal, M., & Nolivos, V. (2014). Spanish-speaking parent–child emotional narratives and children’s social skills. Journal of Cognition and Development, 15(1), 22–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, A., & Bliss, L. S. (2003). Patterns of narrative discourse: A multicultural, life span approach. Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melzi, G., Schick, A., & Kennedy, J. (2011). Narrative participation and elaboration: Two dimensions of maternal elicitation style. Child Development, 82(4), 1282–1296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, P. J., Cho, G. E., & Bracey, J. R. (2005). Working-class children’s experience through the prism of personal storytelling. Human Development, 48, 115–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mol, S. E., Bus, A. G., de Jong, M. T., & Smeets, D. J. H. (2008). Added value of dialogic parent-child book readings: A meta-analysis. Early Education and Development, 19(1), 7–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neuman, S. B., & Celano, D. C. (2012). Worlds apart: One city, two libraries, and ten years of watching inequality grow. American Educator, 36, 13–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, D. B. (2011). A systematic review of narrative-based language intervention with children who have language impairment. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 32(4), 207–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, D. B., Gillam, S. L., & Gillam, R. B. (2008). Emerging procedures in narrative assessment. Topics in Language Disorders, 28(2), 115–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., & McCabe, A. (1983). Developmental psycholinguistics. New York: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., McCabe, A., & Jesso, B. (2003). Parents as teachers of preliteracy skills. In A. McCabe & L. S. Bliss (Eds.), Patterns of narrative discourse (pp. 179–188). Boston: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Propp, V. I. (1928/1968). Morphology of the Folktale (trans: L. Scott, 2nd ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reese, E. (2012). The tyranny of shared book-reading. In S. Suggate & E. Reese (Eds.), Contemporary debates in childhood education and development (pp. 58–68). Florence: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reese, E., & Newcombe, R. (2007). Training mothers in elaborative reminiscing enhances children’s autobiographical memory and narrative. Child Development, 78(4), 1153–1170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reese, E., Leyva, D., Sparks, A., & Grolnick, W. (2010a). Maternal elaboration reminiscing increases low-income children’s narrative skills relative to dialogic reading. Early Education and Development, 21(3), 318–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reese, E., Sparks, A., & Leyva, D. (2010b). A review of parent interventions for preschool children’s language and emergent literacy. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10(1), 97–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reese, E., Suggate, S., Long, J., & Schaughency, E. (2010c). Children’s oral narrative and reading skills in the first 3 years of reading instruction. Reading & Writing, 23, 627–644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schick, A. R. (2014). Home-school literacy experiences of Latino preschoolers: Does continuity predict positive child outcomes? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 35, 370–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schick, A., & Melzi, G. (2010). Children’s oral narrative development across contexts. Early Education & Development, 21(3), 293–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, C. E., & Uccelli, P. (2009). The challenge of academic language. In D. R. Olson & N. Torrance (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of literacy (pp. 112–133). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, N. L., & Glenn, C. (1979). An analysis of story comprehension in elementary school children. In R. D. Freedle (Ed.), Advances in discourse processes: New directions in discourse processing (Vol. 2, pp. 53–119). Norwood: Albex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taumoepeau, M., & Reese, E. (2013). Maternal reminiscing, elaborative talk, and children’s theory of mind: An intervention study. First Language, 33(4), 388–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tõugu, P., Tulviste, T., Schröder, L., Keller, H., & De Geer, B. (2011). Socialization of past event talk: Cultural differences in maternal elaborative reminiscing. Cognitive Development, 26, 142–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uccelli, P., & Páez, M. (2007). Narrative and vocabulary development of bilingual children from kindergarten to first grade. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 38, 225–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Q. (2007). “Remember when you got the big, big bulldozer?” Mother–child reminiscing over time and across cultures. Social Cognition, 25(4), 455–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R. (2009). Peers and academic functioning at school. In K. H. Rubin, W. Bukowski, & B. Laursen (Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (pp. 531–547). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitehurst, G. J., & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child development and emergent literacy. Child Development, 69(3), 848–872.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zevenbergen, A. A., & Whitehurst, G. J. (2003). Dialogic reading: A shared picture book reading intervention for preschoolers. In A. van Kleeck, S. A. Stahl, & E. B. Bauer (Eds.), On reading books to children (pp. 170–192). Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Psychology, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University, New York, 246 Greene St., 8th floor, NY, USA

    Gigliana Melzi

  2. Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard University, 50 Church Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Margaret Caspe

Authors
  1. Gigliana Melzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Margaret Caspe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gigliana Melzi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Kendall A. King

  2. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Yi-Ju Lai

  3. Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Melzi, G., Caspe, M. (2017). Research Approaches to Narrative, Literacy, and Education. In: King, K., Lai, YJ., May, S. (eds) Research Methods in Language and Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02249-9_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation