Comparing the Relationship of Verbal Imaging Instructions and Kindergartners' Abilities to Retell a Story

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in kindergartners' abilities to retell a story when they were given verbal imaging instructions as compared to retelling a story when no verbal imaging instructions were given. The subjects of this study were twenty-six kindergarten children attending an urban school district in Western New York State. The subjects listened to a chapter of a story and were asked to retell the structural elements in the chapter. The same subjects listened to another chapter of the same story, comparable in length and complexity, but this time the subjects received verbal imaging instructions. The subjects were asked once again to retell the structural elements of the chapter. The story retellings were compared through the use of a t test. The results showed a statistically significant difference in childrens' abilities to retell the story.