Development of cohesion in normal children’s narratives

Abstract

In this study the development of cohesion in narration in typical developing children was investigated. There is no assessment tool for cohesion yet. In this study, an analysis to measure cohesion was developed. Cohesion was measured using the Renfrew’s Bus Story Test Dutch adaptation (RTNA)(Jansonius & Borgers 2009). Narrations of 6 groups of children 4;00 until 10;00 years of age, 30 in each age group, were analyzed for cohesion and compared with each other. Nearly all variables showed a development in cohesion between these age groups over time. The bus story test (RTNA: Jansonius et.al. 2006) proved to be a diagnostic valid instrument to measure cohesion in children’s narratives. Moreover, this study proved that besides plotstructure analyses, separate analyses for cohesion are needed to assess.