Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Original Article

The Narrative Competence Task

A Standardized Test to Assess Children’s Narrative Skills

Published Online:March 13, 2020https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000569

Abstract

Abstract. The oral narratives of 240 Italian children aged 3–8 years were analyzed using a new instrument, the Narrative Competence Task (NCT). The data showed a gradual increase in the children’s narrative competence in both the macrostructure and the microstructure. Statistically significant differences between preschool-age and school-age children were found on all the variables considered. In addition to increased chronological age, a significant role of cognitive abilities (general non-verbal intelligence and sequential reasoning) and linguistic skills (mean length of utterance and lexical diversity) emerged in explaining the variance in children’s narrative macrostructure. Children with superior cognitive and linguistic abilities produced richer narratives characterized by a greater quantity of information, a better structure, and a wider use of mental state lexicon.

References

  • Belacchi, C., Scalisi, T. G., Cannoni, E., & Cornoldi, C. (2008). CPM: Coloured Progressive Matrices. Standarizzazione italiana [CPM: Coloured Progressive Matrices. Italian standardization]. Florence, Italy: Giunti Organizzazioni Speciali. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Blom, E., & Boerma, T. (2016). Why do children with language impairment have difficulties with narrative macrostructure? Research in Developmental Disabilities, 55, 301–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.05.001 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Camaioni, L., Longobardi, E., & Bellagamba, F. (1998). Evoluzione dei termini di stati mentali nelle storie di fantasia scritte da bambini in età scolare [Development of mental state lexicon in fiction stories written by school-age children]. Età evolutiva, 60, 20–29. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Castilla-Earls, A., Petersen, D., Spencer, T., & Hammer, K. (2015). Narrative development in monolingual Spanish-speaking preschool children. Early Education and Development, 26, 1166–1186. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2015.1027623 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Cruttenden, A. (1997). Intonation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Devescovi, A., Caselli, M. C., Marchione, D., Pasqualetti, P., Reilly, J., & Bates, E. (2005). A crosslinguistic study of the relationship between grammar and lexical development. Journal of Child Language, 32, 759–786. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000905007105 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Fiorentino, L., & Howe, N. (2004). Language competence, narrative ability, and school readiness in low-income preschool children. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne des Sciences du Comportement, 36, 280–294. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0087237 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Heilmann, J., Miller, J. F., Nockerts, A., & Dunaway, C. (2010). Properties of the narrative scoring scheme using narrative retells in young school-age children. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19, 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2009/08-0024) First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • John, S. F., Lui, M., & Tannock, R. (2003). Children’s story retelling and comprehension using a new narrative resource. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 18, 91–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/082957350301800105 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Justice, L. M., Bowles, R., Pence, K., & Gosse, C. (2010). A scalable tool for assessing children’s language abilities within a narrative context: The NAP (Narrative Assessment Protocol). Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 218–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.11.002 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • MacWhinney, B. (2000). The CHILDES Project: Tools for analyzing talk. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Malvern, D., Richards, B., Chipere, N., & Purán, P. (2004). Lexical diversity and language development. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Marinellie, S. (2004). Complex syntax used by school-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) in child–adult conversation. Journal of Communication Disorders, 37, 517–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2004.03.005 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Marini, A., Marotta, L., Bulgheroni, S., & Fabbro, F. (2015). BVL 4-12, Batteria per la Valutazione del Linguaggio in bambini dai 4 ai 12 anni [BVL 4-12. Battery for the assessment of language in children from 4 to 12 years]. Florence, Italy: Giunti Organizzazioni Speciali. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Mayer, M. (1969). Frog, where are you?. New York, NY: Dial Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • McCarthy, P. M., & Jarvis, S. (2007). Vocd: A theoretical and empirical evaluation. Language Testing, 24, 459–488. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532207080767 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Mozzanica, F., Salvadorini, R., Sai, E., Pozzoli, R., Maruzzi, P., Scarponi, L., … Schindler, A. (2016). Reliability, validity and normative data of the Italian version of the Bus Story test. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 89, 17–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2016.07.029 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Norbury, C. F., & Bishop, D. V. M. (2003). Narrative skills of children with communication impairments. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 38, 287–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/136820310000108133 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Pinto, G. (2003). Il suono, il segno, il significato. Psicologia dei processi di alfabetizzazione [Sound, sign, and meaning. The psychology of literacy processes]. Rome, Italy: Carocci Editore. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Pinto, G., Tarchi, C., & Bigozzi, L. (2016). Development in narrative competences from oral to written stories in five-to seven-year-old children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 36, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.12.001 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Renfrew, C. E. (2010). Bus story test: A test of narrative speech (4th rev). Bicester, UK: Speechmark. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Rice, M. L., Redmond, S. M., & Hoffman, L. (2006). Mean length of utterance in children with specific language impairment and in younger control children shows concurrent validity and stable and parallel growth trajectories. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 793–808. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2006/056) First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Roch, M., Florit, E., & Levorato, C. (2016). Narrative competence of Italian-English bilingual children between 5 and 7 years. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000417 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Suraniti, S., Ferri, R., & Neri, V. (2009). Test for Reception of Grammar Version 2 (TROG-2). Florence, Italy: Giunti Organizzazioni Speciali. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Zampini, L., Zanchi, P., Suttora, C., Spinelli, M., Fasolo, M., & Salerni, N. (2017). Assessing sequential reasoning skills in typically developing children. Applied Psychology Bulletin, 279, 44–50. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar