Examination of Narrative Language at Microstructural and Macrostructural Levels in Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Early Childhood Education

Background:

• Understanding the development of narrative language skills in bilingual children is crucial for effective educational support.
• Assessing language development in Spanish-speaking preschoolers requires culturally and linguistically appropriate methods.
• Longitudinal tracking of language skills provides insights into developmental trajectories and learning patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze changes in microstructural and macrostructural narrative language skills in Spanish-speaking preschoolers' first language (L1) from fall to spring.
• To investigate the relationships between narrative skills and vocabulary in L1.
• To determine the predictive power of fall L1 skills on spring performance.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of narrative language retells from 40 Spanish-speaking preschoolers across two time points (fall and spring).
• Utilized the Narrative Assessment Protocol-Spanish for microstructural analysis and the Narrative Scoring Scheme for macrostructural analysis.
• Assessed expressive vocabulary in Spanish.

Main Results:

• Observed varying degrees of change in microstructural and macrostructural narrative elements between fall and spring.
• Identified shifting associations between L1 vocabulary and narrative skills throughout the academic year.
• Found that fall language skills had variable predictive power for spring outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The findings offer valuable insights into the dynamic nature of narrative language development in Spanish-speaking preschoolers.
• Highlights the importance of considering developmental changes and the interplay of vocabulary and narrative skills.
• Informs professionals on effective assessment and progress monitoring strategies for this population throughout the academic year.