The Effects of Observational Learning on Preschoolers' Alphabet Knowledge

This study examined the effects of observational learning on preschoolers' attention to print, use of a questioning technique, and knowledge of the alphabet. Participating were 13 boys and 13 girls from a day care center at a community college, with a mean age of 4.3 years. Children were randomly assigned to one of three training conditions, each comprised of a 4.5-minute videotaped sequence of an adult reading to a model child from a project-developed alphabet book. They were: (1) picture-focused videotape, in which the model child asked a question about the picture; (2) print-focused videotape, in which the child pointed to the print and asked a question about it; and (3) no-questions videotape, in which the child listened to the adult without speaking. After viewing the videotapes, children were read an alphabet book and their behavior observed. Pre- and posttests were also given on knowledge of the alphabet and print concepts. Results indicated that children who viewed a child model ask questions about the print in an alphabet book attended to the print more than children in the other groups. Although not statistically significant, children who observed a child model use a questioning technique asked more questions than children who observed a silent model. Preschoolers who focused on the print at least once showed larger pre-post gains on an uppercase letter naming task than preschoolers who did not focus on the print at all. Although not statistically significant, the children who imitated the model had slightly more letter and print concept knowledge before viewing the videotapes. (Contains 21 references.) (KDFB)