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Purpose: This study aimed to describe the development of inferential abilities of children age 3 to 6 years in a narrative using a dialogic reading task on an iPad.
Method: Participants were 121 typically developing children, divided into 3 groups according to age range (3-4 years old, 4-5 years old, 5-6 years old). Total score of inferential comprehension, subscores by causal inference type targeting elements of the story grammar, and quality of response were examined across groups.
Results: Inferential comprehension emerged early, from 3 to 4 years old, with considerable interindividual variability. Inferential comprehension scores increased significantly in relation to age, leading to developmental steps with regards to the type of causal inferences. The ability to infer the problem of the story, the internal response of a character, and predictions were easier starting at age 4 years. Then, the 5- to 6-year-olds were better able to infer the goal, the attempt to solve the problem, and the resolution. Last, between the ages of 3 and 6 years, children improved in terms of the quality of response they provided.
Conclusion: This study addresses important gaps in our knowledge of inferential comprehension in young children and has implications for planning of early education in this realm.
Inferential abilities play a critical role in reading comprehension and, therefore, in the educational success of children (Cain, Oakhill, & Elbro, 2003; Gineste & Le Ny, 2002; Kendeou, van den Broek, White, & Lynch, 2009; Lynch & van den Broek, 2007; Paul, 2000; van Kleeck, 2008). This has been the topic of numerous studies relating to school-age children (Bishop & Adams, 1990; Catts, 2009; Oakhill & Cain, 2000; Serpell, Baker, & Sonnenschein, 2005). Indeed, the link between good inferential skills and reading comprehension has often been highlighted (Cain & Oakhill, 1999; Cain et al., 2003; Oakhill & Cain, 2000; Trabasso & Wiley, 2005; van den Broek, Tzeng, Risden, Trabasso, & Basche, 2001).
Besides this interest, recent studies have demonstrated that inferential abilities emerge within the preschool period, before children enter school (Blanc, 2010; Filiatrault-Veilleux, Bouchard, Trudeau, & Desmarais, 2015; Florit, Roch, & Levorato, 2014; Kendeou, Bohn-Gettler, White, & van den Broek, 2008; Makdissi & Boisclair, 2006; Reed, Hurks, Kirschner, & Jolles, 2015; Tompkins, Guo, & Justice, 2013; van Kleeck, Vander...