Oral Narrative Skills: Implications for the Reading Development of African American Children

— This article reviews research concerning an area of strength for African American children: oral narrative skills. The article discusses the historical and cultural factors that have contributed to the rich tradition of oral narratives among African Americans and the implications of oral narrative...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development perspectives 2012-09, Vol.6 (3), p.218-224
Main Authors: Gardner-Neblett, Nicole, Pungello, Elizabeth P., Iruka, Iheoma U.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Black American people
Children
classroom discourse
Comprehension
Cultural aspects
Discourse
literacy
low income
Narratives
oral tradition
storytelling
teacher-student relationship
Traditions
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Summary:— This article reviews research concerning an area of strength for African American children: oral narrative skills. The article discusses the historical and cultural factors that have contributed to the rich tradition of oral narratives among African Americans and the implications of oral narrative skills for reading development. Although early research suggested that African American children have a limited narrative style, more recent research shows that, in fact, they can produce a range of narrative styles using sophisticated discourse techniques. Recent research also provides evidence that, compared to European American children, African American children produce narratives of higher quality and have greater narrative comprehension. The article discusses the implications of this research for education and offers directions for future research.
ISSN:1750-8592
1750-8606
DOI:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00225.x