ERIC Number: EJ938044
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Dec
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0167-8507
EISSN: N/A
How Do Preschool Children Engage Each Other in Dialogue in Finland, Estonia and Sweden?
Tryggvason, Marja-Terttu; Tulviste, Tiia; De Geer, Boel
Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication, v27 n4 p389-408 Dec 2008
The present study compares preschool children in Finland, Estonia and Sweden regarding linguistic structures with which children in dyads elicited talk from each other in a naturalistic play activity. Nineteen Finnish (mean age 5.1), 19 Estonian (mean age 5.4) and 17 Swedish (mean age 5.1) same-sex pairs were video-recorded by a native researcher. Analyses of the results showed that children in different groups produced quite a similar number of utterances and eliciting talk structures. The Swedish and Finnish children used most yes-no questions, whereas the Estonian children had the highest occurrence of open questions. Imperative as well as elliptic structures were used by the Finnish children to a significantly higher extent than by the Swedish children. In summary, the groups differed less from each than was predicted on the basis of adult-child interaction. The results suggested that the symmetrical child-child free play context affected the choice of eliciting talk structures.
Descriptors: Video Technology, Play, Preschool Children, Foreign Countries, Comparative Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Peer Relationship, Context Effect
Mouton de Gruyter. Available from: Walter de Gruyter. P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960. Tel: 800-208-8144; Tel: 703-661-1589; Fax: 703-661-1501; e-mail: degruytermail@presswarehouse.com; Web site: http://www.degruyter.de/journals/multilin
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Estonia; Finland; Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A