Assessing inference production in 5 to 7-year-olds: Benefits of using a pictorial task

Introduction

This study focuses on the methodology used to assess children's inferential skills in a narrative comprehension context with children aged between 5 to 7 years.

Objective

The aim of this study is to test the validity of a pictorial task based on children's literature to probe children's ability to make inferences at different times during the listening of fictional stories.

Method

The task involves selecting one of three vignettes which best illustrates what is currently happening in the story (i.e., inferential vs. literal vs. off-topic). The choices expressed here are compared to those made during a preference task performed by the same students, which consists of selecting the vignette they like the most among each series presented in the comprehension task.

Results

First, based on the analysis of the data collected in the comprehension task, children most often select inferential vignettes. Second, the choices expressed in the comprehension task differ from those expressed in the preference task.

Conclusion

These results confirm the relevance of using children's literature associated with a pictorial task to test children's inferential skills, even with preschoolers.