The present study compared looking behavior of preschoolers at different visual elements in storybook illustrations. Fourteen Dutch children, aged from 4 to 6, were recruited. Three detailed...Show moreThe present study compared looking behavior of preschoolers at different visual elements in storybook illustrations. Fourteen Dutch children, aged from 4 to 6, were recruited. Three detailed illustrations from a storybook were used, in which areas of interest were created, distinguishing the elements between humanoid and non-humanoid figures, elements highlighted and not highlighted by the oral text, and combinations of the two categories. Children’s eye movements on the illustrations were recorded with an eye-tracking device. For each picture, separate paired-sample t-tests were conducted and results indicated that children integrated the oral text of the story and the illustrations that were accompanying it. Children’s visual attention to the illustrations focuses mostly on humanoid figures that are highlighted by the accompanied text of the storybook. Recommendations for future research and practice implications are discussed.Show less
In previous studies, digital storybooks with dynamic illustrations have been found to be beneficial for expressive language acquisition of second language learners with limited vocabularies ...Show moreIn previous studies, digital storybooks with dynamic illustrations have been found to be beneficial for expressive language acquisition of second language learners with limited vocabularies (Verhallen, Bus & de Jong, 2006; Verhallen & Bus, 2010). In this experiment, we examined the effects of digital storybooks with dynamic and static illustrations on the expressive vocabulary of 39 native Dutch speakers from 4 to 6 years of age. We investigated the role of visual attention at the illustrations in children’s vocabulary acquisition. Eye movements were recorded using eye-tracking methodology and showed that moving parts of the illustrations attract children’s attention. Furthermore, static illustrations were more facilitative than their dynamic counterparts for learning words expressively. In the dynamic condition longer fixation time at the depiction of targeted words was associated with lower word learning. In the static condition there was no relationship between looking behavior and word learning.Show less
Storybook reading is a widespread activity in the kindergarten classrooms. Preschool teachers usually read the narration of each page from print storybooks and show the illustrations around...Show moreStorybook reading is a widespread activity in the kindergarten classrooms. Preschool teachers usually read the narration of each page from print storybooks and show the illustrations around afterwards. However, presenting the illustrations at the same time as the oral narration might be more effective for children’s vocabulary development. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of different timing between pictures and text during a story reading on young kindergartener’s vocabulary acquisition. 22 children listened to digitalized storybooks presenting the visual and the verbal information either at the same time or successively. Children’s book-based vocabulary growth was assessed. The findings showed that simultaneous storybooks were more beneficial than non-simultaneous ones on young kindergartner’s vocabulary development. Students with larger initial vocabularies benefited more from the simultaneous storybooks than the non-simultaneous ones. However, the mode of presentation made no difference in learning gains for students with low initial vocabulary knowledge. Digitalized storybooks are suggested for preschool reading sessions.Show less
