Page 45 - Second language development of newly arrived migrant kindergarteners - Frederike Groothoff

Theoretical perspectives 45 (2009) reports that with the increase of age, narrators more overtly referred to emotions and used a wider variety of emotion terms. In a study by John, Lui, and Tannock (2003) with 7-, 9-, and 11-year olds only limited age-related differences in story structure were found. John et al. therefore concluded that a sense of story structure is well-developed by around age 7. Table 2.1: First Language Narrative Development. Abbreviated Version of Westby’s Table 27. Preschool Description: unconnected sentences; order not important Action sequence: series of actions, generally with a temporal sequence; centering may be present- story may have a central character or a central theme (actions that each character takes Reactive sequence: Cause-effect sequence of events; chaining of actions Early Elementary Abbreviated episode: Centering and chaining present; stories have at least initiating event (problem) response (character’s reaction to problem), and consequence Complete episode: Centering and chaining present; story has an initiating event, internal response, plan, attempt (carrying out plan), and consequence Later Elementary Complex episode: Like complete episode, but with obstacle(s) to goal and multiple attempts to reach goal Multiple sequential episodes: More than one chapters are arranged in chronological order; at least one episode should be at least complete Adolescent/Adult Interactive episodes: Two or more characters with interactive goals Embedded episodes: One narrative structure embedded within another (An interactive episode may be embedded) 2.6.2 Macrostructure and microstructure Both linguistic competence as well as discourse competence from the theory of communicative competence can be analyzed by examining pupils’ narratives, since narratives can be analyzed on two distinct, but interconnected levels (Liles, Duffy, Merritt, & Purcell, 1995): the microstructural level and on the macrostructural level. Narrative microstructure concerns the use of all kinds of lexical items, and is therefore related to linguistic competence. The aspects of microstructure in stories by second language learners will show large development, because these aspects must be newly acquired by second language learners. For every new language they learn they need to learn new vocabulary otherwise they are not able to tell a good story in that language. 7 Westby, 2012, p. 202–204.