Within the Children’s Media Lab, we have developed a line of research that evaluates the impact of televised narratives on the literacy skills of young children. To date, exposure to content delivered in a narrative framework supports the development of children’s literacy abilities (Linebarger & Piotrowski,
2006; 2007). In another content analysis, programs with narrative frameworks contained more comprehension and vocabulary supports when compared to expository television (Linebarger &
Piotrowski, 2007). To further study narratives, it was necessary to create a valid and reliable methodological tool that quantitatively documents the structure of televised narratives.   Development of this methodological tool is ongoing.

Educational media serve as informal educators within the home by supplementing young children’s development. Substantial evidence documents the contributions of educational television to preschoolers’ acquisition of a variety of skills; however, television’s natural capacity as storyteller and the role it plays in preschoolers’ early literacy development has been largely overlooked. This study examined the effects of viewing different TV program types on 311 at-risk preschoolers’ story knowledge and narrative skills. Children were assigned to one of 4 viewing conditions (i.e. watching up to 40 episodes of a particular program type): no viewing; expository; embedded narrative; or traditional narrative. Story knowledge scores were higher for those viewing either narrative type. In contrast, viewing specific narrative types differentially affected the component skills of narrative competence. Story retelling and identification of explicit story events were higher after repeat viewing of embedded narratives while generating implicit story content was higher after repeat viewing of traditional narratives.

Research has shown that well-developed educational television programming acts as an informal educator within the home and can supplement the development of young children’s early literacy skills (see Linebarger, 2006 for an extensive review).  Researchers have largely overlooked television’s natural capability as a storyteller and the impact this storytelling aspect can have on a young child’s developing story knowledge and narrative skills.  Using an experimental framework, we examined the impact of different types of programming (i.e. expository; traditional and embedded narratives) on children’s literacy skills.  Our results suggest that exposure to television narratives enhanced economically disadvantaged preschoolers’ early literacy abilities.   Embedded narratives supported preschoolers’ ability to identify explicit story elements while traditional narratives supported their ability to identify implicit story elements.  Results were further moderated by age and gender. 

The primary goal of this study was to examine the educational benefits of the Sesame Workshop program Pinky Dinky Doo for economically disadvantaged preschool children living in an inner-city neighborhood.   Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared those children who viewed the program with children who viewed other programming, as well as with a group of children who did not view any programming.   Results suggested that children who viewed Pinky Dinky Doo performed significantly better that their alternate-viewing and non-viewing peers on a variety of early literacy outcome measures.   Specifically, Pinky Dinky Doo viewers had higher narrative competence scores, story knowledge scores, vocabulary knowledge scores, and code-related skills. 

Research has shown that well-developed educational television programming acts as an informal educator within the home and can supplement the development of young children’s early literacy skills (see Linebarger, 2006 for an extensive review).  Researchers have largely overlooked television’s natural capability as a storyteller and the impact this storytelling aspect can have on a young child’s developing story knowledge and narrative skills.  Using an experimental framework, we examined the impact of different types of programming (i.e. expository; traditional and embedded narratives) on children’s literacy skills.  Our results suggest that exposure to television narratives enhanced economically disadvantaged preschoolers’ early literacy abilities.   Embedded narratives supported preschoolers’ ability to identify explicit story elements while traditional narratives supported their ability to identify implicit story elements.  Results were further moderated by age and gender. 

Researchers have argued that literacy is perhaps one of the most important skills required for successful adulthood.  Moreover, it is well-documented that literacy skills are established early in life and are difficult to change.  Ethnic minority children and children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families have been shown to be particularly at risk for literacy difficulties.  The home literacy environment has been shown to be particularly influential for children’s emergent literacy skills, yet most interventions are costly and difficult to sustain.  Nonetheless, sitting within the homes of nearly all Americans is a possible learning tool that is neither costly nor unsustainable: the television set.  Television is the modern storyteller.  It has the ability to expose children to well-structured, age appropriate stories.  Through this exposure to well-structured narrative, it is likely that young child’s narrative skills can be enhanced via story schema development.   After briefly reviewing the literature on the role that television can play on children’s narrative development, an argument for a valid and reliable tool to assess narrative structure within children’s programming is presented.  A preliminary coding schema for assessing narrative structure within such programming is then offered.