ERIC Number: EJ886237
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Teachers' Interactions during Storybook Reading: A Rural African Perspective
Higham, Sonja; Tonsing, Kerstin Monika; Alant, Erna
Early Education and Development, v21 n3 p392-411 2010
Research Findings: Teaching thinking skills is an important goal of formal primary and secondary education. Storybook reading is a well-established routine in the first few school years. Thinking skills can easily be fostered during these potentially language-rich interactions, making storybook reading a powerful tool for preparing young children for formal schooling. The aim of this research pilot project was to describe how 5 rural South African Grade R teachers interacted with their class during storybook reading. Teachers were videotaped during 3 consecutive story-reading sessions. Their utterances were transcribed and coded according to type and according to the cognitive level at which they fell. Results indicated that teachers used mainly utterances falling at a cognitively lower level and that they favored the use of requesting in their interactions. Although teachers used an interactive reading style and engaged children, their use of storybook reading as a strategy to foster higher level thinking was limited. Practice or Policy: These results are interpreted against a background of African cultural norms for adult-child interactions, taking into account that culture is ever changing. Implications for teacher training and further research are given. (Contains 4 tables and 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Story Reading, Thinking Skills, Teacher Student Relationship, Elementary School Teachers, Foreign Countries, Teaching Styles, African Culture, Cultural Influences, Elementary School Students, Rural Schools, Interpersonal Communication, Cognitive Processes, Kindergarten
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A