Private Speech and Performance of Iranian Preschoolers in the Tower of London Task

Document Type : Scientific- research

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Abstract

Private speech, which occurs when children play and/or perform tasks, is considered to be one of the most important functions which can illuminate the relation between thought and language. The aim of the present study was to examine private speech among Iranian children while they were involved in the tower of London (TOL) task. The questions of the study included: 1) Do Iranian preschoolers talk to themselves when performing a task? 2) Is there any relationship between private speech and performance of children? 3) Do children talk to themselves more when they encounter a difficult task than an easy task?  To find answers to the research questions, 32 five year-old children participated in the study and performed the TOL task while their performance and talks were videotaped and later coded. Results showed that children were more involved in social than in private speech. Nevertheless, their performance in TOL was positively related to their private speech.  The results of the study showed that the difficulty level of the task did not have any relationship with the level of private speech produced by children  even though some evidence indicating that difficultly level of the task might lead to more private speech could be inferred. The findings of the study imply that awareness-raising among teachers and parents regarding the role of private speech in the process of children’s language development should be emphasized.

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References

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