Investigating children's talk in the kindergarten and in the playing field settings

Abstract

In this study I aim to describe how and why children's talk varies in the kindergarten and in the playing field settings. The dissertation covers various theoretical views concerning children's uses of language and the outstanding features which characterise children's talk. In my investigation, children's talk in the kindergarten and playing field settings is explored using recorded data. Moreover, to overcome recording problems in the playing field, I adopted a new method of recording. In my analysis of transcripts of children's talk used in the two settings, first, children's talk was coded for communicative intent. Secondly, I drew out the number of purposes for which children use talk. The findings reveal several educational implications, namely, the importance of investigating children's talk in informal settings such as the playing field.