Logopedija, Vol. 13 No. 1, 2023.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.31299/log.13.1.3
Gestures in children aged 4-7 years - how frequent are they and when do they occur?
Matea Jović
orcid.org/0009-0008-8740-2825
; Centar za razvojnu podršku, Feralić d.o.o., Benkovačka cesta 25B, 23000 Zadar
Maja Cepanec
orcid.org/0000-0003-4246-0294
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Edukacijsko-rehabilitacijski fakultet, Odsjek za logopediju, Laboratorij za istraživanje dječje komunikacije
Sažetak
Gestures represent the first means of communication in typically developing children and are very common in early acts of communication, but their occurrence decreases as language use increases in the second year of life. Strengthening verbal skills not only changes the frequency of their occurrence, but also their function. Since analyzes of spontaneous use of gestures have been conducted mostly on early-age children (1-3 years) and adult speakers, the aim of this study was to investigate the use of gestures in typically developing preschool children (4-7 years). Data were collected by analyzing spontaneous behavior in a group of peers (day-care settings) following a standardized observation protocol. Thirty children were included in the study. Each child was observed for two days, 30 minutes per day.
The results show that, on average, children use about 15 gestures in 60 minutes of communication. Most gestures occur with speech (87%). The majority of all gestures are deictic gestures (81%), while conventional and symbolic gestures occur much less frequently. As expected, gestures most frequently occur in the function of commenting (67% of communicative acts).
These data provide insight into the use of gestures and offer clearer criteria for assessing communication characteristics of children aged 4-7 years.
Ključne riječi
nonverbal communication, gestures, communicative functions, communication partner
Hrčak ID:
308616
URI
Datum izdavanja:
9.10.2023.
Posjeta: 693 *