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Research Approaches to Narrative, Literacy, and Education

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Research Methods in Language and Education

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

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Abstract

Across cultures, oral narratives are woven into the fabric of everyday events and interactions. We tell stories to our peers as a way to establish and maintain friendships; caregivers tell stories to their children as a means to entertain and educate; and at school children and teachers share stories in the process of acquiring literacy. Narrative is a genre of oral discourse that combines various linguistic, cognitive, and social skills. Children’s narrative development emerges from the early conversations between the child and adult caregivers, and their early narrative skills are predictive of various abilities related to future school success. This brief review synthesizes past and current research on children’s oral narrative development and the connections between narrative abilities and other skills necessary for educational success. The review ends with a discussion of the challenges in conducting research with children’s oral narratives, as well as future directions in the application of narrative work to educational interventions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 246 Greene St., 8th floor, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Gigliana Melzi

  2. Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard University, 50 Church Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Margaret Caspe

Authors
  1. Gigliana Melzi
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  2. Margaret Caspe
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Correspondence to Gigliana Melzi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Second Languages and Cultures Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA

    Kendall King

  2. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Yi-Ju Lai

  3. Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, School of Critic, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

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Melzi, G., Caspe, M. (2016). Research Approaches to Narrative, Literacy, and Education. In: King, K., Lai, YJ., May, S. (eds) Research Methods in Language and Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02329-8_17-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02329-8_17-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02329-8

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