nicole kotras masters thesis

Table 10
The responses given to the small and large revised SA and UK pictures for each two-month
age interval for the White pre-schoolers of sample 1 and 2
AGE SMALL
PICT-
URES
Two-month
interval
Mean
no. of
Stimuli
identified
Mean
no. of
Stimuli
SAMPLE 1 SAMPLE 2
LARGE SA PICTURE
Mean
no. of
Descriptive
words
Mean
no. of
Descriptivesentences
Mean
no. of
Pronouns
SMALL
PICT-
URES
Mean
no. of
Stimuli
identified
Mean
no. of
Stimuli
LARGE UK PICTURE
Mean
no. of
Descriptive
words
Mean
no. of
Descriptivesentences
60-61 17 20 3 4 2 18 19 3 4 2
62-63 15 12 1 0 0 15 13 1 1 2
64-65 17 19 3 1 1 17 17 2 1 0
66-67 19 22 3 0 0 20 17 2 0 0
68-69 18 18 3 3 1 18 18 1 4 1
70-71 19 18 2 5 1 19 19 2 3 1
72-73 19 18 2 3 1 18 18 2 2 1
74-75 19 17 2 2 1 19 19 5 3 0
76-77 19 20 4 4 2 19 19 3 5 3
78-79 18 20 3 3 0 18 18 3 2 0
80-81 18 26 6 6 1 20 20 4 4 1
82-83 - - - - - - - - - -
Regarding the White pre-schoolers responses per each two-month age interval on
the small revised pictures, it was evident that the children of the older age range correctly
Mean
no. of
Pronouns
identified more than their younger counterparts. This trend was noted for the children from
both sample groups.
Like Piaget, Griffiths (1960) differentiated between the comprehension
(understanding, passive speech) of what is said around a child, and the child's ability to
express (active speech) him/herself verbally. In their writings, Griffiths (1960) and Piaget
(1952a, 1952b, 1959) refer to several significant stages of language development. One
such stage is known as the True Communication stage, in which the pre-schoolers of both
samples fall. At this stage the young child's "mastery of expression" involves an ability to:
tell stories, share ideas, and discuss alternatives; to show increasing use of varied grammar;
to engage in spontaneous self-correction of grammatical errors; to stabilize the articulation of
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