Arab Children's Narrative Development Measuring Narrative Interaction and Narrative Intervention in Arab-Speaking Children by Do-Bine and Do-Fine

Year 2018, Volume: 10 , 177 - 196, 12.09.2018

Nabeela Samara Kateeb

Abstract

This research represents a pioneering study in the Arab world, in which
scientific data on children's language is still lacking, and this holds
especially true for the development of narrative competence in early childhood.
The goal of the present research was to measure the development of Arab
children's narrative competence and to investigate whether its acquisition can
be speeded up through the implementation of an intervention program based on
the principles of the interactive approach. We assumed that the narrative
competence of all children would increase with age, and further that
improvements would take place in the research group due to the intervention
program. The research form is an experiment; the experimental group was exposed
to the intervention and another, control group was not. Measurements of
narrative competence were taken in both groups before and after the
intervention. The sample consisted of 124 children of the two ages 3-4 and 5-6
years. The sample was divided randomly into 60 children in the research and 64
in the control group. We used the "DO-BINE" program which assesses
narrative competence, and "DO-FINE" intervention. The results show
that the 5-6 year olds achieved higher scores than the 3-4 year olds in all
three narrative competences. The findings of this study can help administrators
and education-policy makers with the treatment of children in the development
of spoken language skills and their emerging literacy in kindergarten.
Moreover, serve for professionals in kindergarten for diagnosis, assessment and
treatment of young children, including those with special needs.

Keywords

Narrative, Play, Language acquisition, Narrative measuring

References

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