The purpose of the study is to investigate the difference of language expressiveness and phonological awareness of young children according to the participation of transition time-based words play activities. In this way, it is meaningful to provide a...
The purpose of the study is to investigate the difference of language expressiveness and phonological awareness of young children according to the participation of transition time-based words play activities. In this way, it is meaningful to provide a way for young children to have an interest in language and to achieve effective language development, and to provide a way for the teacher to effectively operate the transition time during the day. The following are the subjects for inquiry associated with the issues:
1. What is the difference in the expressive ability (language expressiveness) of young children according to whether or not they participate in the activities using the transition time?
2. What is the difference in children's phonological awareness according to whether or not they participate in the activity using the transition time?
The purpose of this study is to investigate the difference of phonological awareness of 4-year-olds according to whether they participate in transition time-based words play activities. The subjects of this study were 46 children in the 4th grade of J public kindergarten in Seoul, and 23 children in the experimental group and the comparative group. The study was conducted for 9 weeks from September 8, 2016 to November 11, 2016 in the order of preliminary study, pre-test, experimental treatment, and post–test. The experimental group participated in the activities of transition time-based words play, and the comparative group made the usual activities such as chant, singing songs, and short flash fairy tales during the transition time. The transition time-based words play activities were referred to the literature and research on early childhood language education and the teacher's guidebook for the 4-year-old. The transition time, which is the gap between one activity to another, has been set up from 3 to 5 minutes in order to engage young children’s interest. In order to investigate the expressive ability of young children, we used the language expressiveness domain of the language ability measurement test tools made by Chang Young-ae (1981). Moreover, in order to find out the phonological awareness of infants, we used Ko Yeon-kyung(2002)’s phonological awareness test tool modified and supplemented by Sang Hye Noh(2012). Based on the collected data, the differences between the experimental group and the comparative group were compared and analyzed by t-test.
The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, participating in the transition time-based words play make young children improve the language expressiveness. In particular, the experimental group who participated in the activity of the transition time-based words play demonstrated better performance in the usage of word variety, the number of sentences, the contents coincidence and the contents cohesion. It can be interpreted that through the transition time-based words play activity, the infant can organically link the already known and new language knowledge along, and by having the opportunity to properly express thoughts and feelings through appropriate judgment that each child could make, helps to improve the language expressiveness.
Second, participating in the activities transition time-based words play improves the phonological awareness of the infant. Especially, the group that participated in the transition time-based words play activity showed significantly higher difference than the comparative group, difference on the result of pre-test and post-test, in the usage of syllable / phonemic sub-region of syllable recognition and the syllable-phoneme discrimination, It can be interpreted through the transition time-based words play that the use of the speech of syllables improves the phonological awareness of infants.
In conclusion, through the transition time-based words play activities, young children express their thoughts and feelings better and voluntarily, focusing on speech and experience in perceiving and utilizing syllables and phonemes. It can be used as an effective teaching and learning method for language development of young children, and by planning and implementing the transition time-based words play at the time table of the pre-school education system could lead to an effective day for young children.