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17 - Early Childhood Teachers' Awareness, Beliefs, and Practices toward Children's Private Speech

from Part IV - Motivational and Educational Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2009

By
Carla Baker Deniz
Edited by
Adam Winsler ,
Charles Fernyhough  and
Ignacio Montero
Adam Winsler
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Virginia
Charles Fernyhough
Affiliation:
University of Durham
Ignacio Montero
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
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Summary

Private speech is speech spoken to oneself for communication, self-guidance, and self-regulation of behavior (Manning, 1991; Vygotsky, 1934/1986; Winsler, Díaz, & Montero, 1997). Although it is audible, it is neither intended for, nor directed at, others (Manning, 1991; Piaget, 1959; White & Manning, 1994). Overall, there is evidence that task-related private speech might be an important factor in task performance and future achievement. For example, Bivens and Berk (1990) compared children's frequency of private speech used in first grade to their later performance in second grade. They found that the occurrence of task-relevant private speech was positively correlated with achievement 1 year later. In a similar study, Behrend, Rosengren, and Perlmutter (1992) compared the frequency of children's private speech during puzzle-solving activities (Time 1) with their later performance on puzzle solving tasks 1 week later (Time 2). They found that children who had frequent private speech utterances during Time 1 improved their performance on the puzzle-solving task during Time 2.

The awareness, beliefs, and practices of teachers in relation to children's private speech in a natural classroom environment are still largely unknown. Yet, the influence of teachers and teacher-child relationships on child outcomes is well documented (Pianta, 1997; Pianta, Nimetz, & Bennett, 1997). In a study by Winsler et al. (1997), 40 children were videotaped during adult-scaffolded task completion.

Type
Chapter
Information
Private Speech, Executive Functioning, and the Development of Verbal Self-Regulation , pp. 236 - 246
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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