Children’s Narrative Structure Analysis Model in 3-4 Year-Olds

Abstract

The present paper compares the differences in the narrative structures of oral stories produced by a group of three-four year old children. We explored how children organize their narratives in order to understand their narrative concept, determining the textual organization and narrative complexity. We review, in a critical and constructive manner, three different evaluation models of narrative structure in tales produced by children (Applebee, 1978; Landaeta et al., 2009; Heilmann et al., 2010). They served us to thoroughly analyze our corpus. Having noticed certain limitations in these models, we propose an alternative analytic scheme that allows us, first, to describe in detail all characteristics identified in the narratives that constitute our sample, offering an accurate portrait of the oral skills in children; and, finally, it allows us to apply a model of narrative structures best suited to the age group of three to four year-olds.