THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL COMMUNICATIVE ACT AND ABSTRACTION LEVEL USAGE IN STORYBOOK READING AND CHILDREN’S LANGUAGE AND LITERACY ABILITIES
Open Access
Author:
Kraske, Lauren
Area of Honors:
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Supervisor Janice Catherine Light, Faculty Reader Dr. Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
literacy language parental
Abstract:
This study analyzed the possible relationship between parental communicative act and abstraction level usage during storybook reading and children's language and literacy outcomes for children from lower socioeconomic households. It was thought that results would be similar to previous studies analyzing middle class parent-child dyads, with more interactive reading associated with higher language and literacy abilities. However, the only significant correlation was found between parental descriptive utterances and children's letter-word knowledge. These results may suggest that many intervening variables influence the storybook reading experiences of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Perhaps the strategies championed in the middle class dominant literature are not suited for children from lower socioeconomic households. More research is necessary to determine specific parental reading practices that may be beneficial for children's language and literacy development.
