Exploring the predictive value of background knowledge in listening comprehension of digital stories

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the predictive value of background knowledge – topic knowledge, domain knowledge, receptive vocabulary – to understand the listening comprehension of digital stories by preschool children. The sample consisted of 156 children of kindergarten and pre-kindergarten age, who, after being divided into three groups, were exposed to listening to a different form of the same digital aloud reading: interactive, animation, static images and oral narration of the text. Four measures were used to assess the comprehension of the story (story retelling, placing the events of the story in logical order, explicit comprehension and implicit comprehension). In order to assess background knowledge, the author used the Logometer Test for receptive vocabulary; in order to assess domain knowledge “Concepts of Screen Checklist” and in order to assess topic knowledge, a multiple choice test. The results show that domain knowledge is an important predictor factor of listening comprehension, while topic knowledge and receptive vocabulary are important predictor indicators of story retelling, explicit and implicit listening comprehension.

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