Knowledge of storybooks as a predictor of young children's vocabulary.

Abstract

Shared book reading provides a rich source of linguistic stimulation for young children. The authors examined whether variations in knowledge of storybooks (assumed to index factors such as frequency of shared reading) were related to vocabulary scores for 3- to 6-year-olds. In Experiment 1, parents' knowledge of storybooks explained unique variance in children's receptive vocabulary scores after controlling for children's analytic intelligence, parents' exposure to adult reading material, and parents' education. In Experiment 2, children's knowledge of storybooks explained unique variance in their receptive and expressive vocabulary scores after controlling for parents' exposure to print and socioeconomic status level. Children's knowledge of storybooks indexed cognitive factors as well as exposure. The findings obtained in the 2 experiments suggest that storybook experiences during the preschool years may be an important influence on the development of children's language skills.

Cites (53)

1. Four Factor Index of Social Status
   Roi Paschou · 1975
2. Ways with Words: Language, Life and Work in Communities and Classrooms
   Paffard, Michael, Heath, Shirley Brice · 1984 · British Journal of Educational Studies
3. Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy
   Bus, Adriana G., van IJzendoorn, Marinus H., Pellegrini, Anthony D. · 1995 · Review of Educational Research
4. Memory and cognition
   Walter Kintsch · 1977 · Medical Entomology and Zoology
5. The Structural Sources of Verb Meanings
   Gleitman, Lila · 1990 · Language Acquisition
6. Accelerating language development through picture book reading
   Whitehurst, G. J., Falco, F. L., Lonigan, C. J., Fischel, J. E., DeBaryshe, B. D., Valdez-Menchaca, M. C., Caulfield, M. · 1988 · Developmental Psychology
7. Emergent Literacy: Writing and Reading
   William H. Teale, Elizabeth Sulzby · 1986 · Medical Entomology and Zoology
8. Learning Words from Context
   Nagy, William E., Herman, Patricia A., Anderson, Richard C. · 1985 · Reading Research Quarterly
9. The achievement and antecedents of labelling
   Ninio, Anat, Bruner, Jerome · 1978 · Journal of Child Language
10. On the Efficacy of Reading to Preschoolers
    Scarborough, Hollis S., Dobrich, Wanda · 1994 · Developmental Review

Show all 53 references

Cited by (12)

1. To read or not to read: a meta-analysis of print exposure from infancy to early adulthood
   Mol, Suzanne E., Bus, Adriana G. · 2011 · Psychological Bulletin
2. Mother–child bookreading in low-income families: correlates and outcomes during the first three years of life
   Raikes, Helen, Alexander Pan, Barbara, Luze, Gayle, Tamis-LeMonda, Catherine S, Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Constantine, Jill, Banks Tarullo, Louisa, Abigail Raikes, H, Rodriguez, Eileen T · 2006 · Child Development
3. Relative efficacy of parent and teacher involvement in a shared-reading intervention for preschool children from low-income backgrounds
   Lonigan, Christopher J, Whitehurst, Grover J · 1998 · Early Childhood Research Quarterly
4. Bookworms versus nerds: Exposure to fiction versus non-fiction, divergent associations with social ability, and the simulation of fictional social worlds
   Mar, Raymond A., Oatley, Keith, Hirsh, Jacob, dela Paz, Jennifer, Peterson, Jordan B. · 2006 · Journal of Research in Personality
5. Formal and informal home learning activities in relation to children’s early numeracy and literacy skills: The development of a home numeracy model
   Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn, Sowinski, Carla, LeFevre, Jo-Anne · 2014 · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

See all 438