The Development of Language Skills in Early Childhood Through Consistent Storytelling and Book Reading: A Case Study of Early Childhood Children in the Storytelling and Book Reading Project of the Thai wisdom Association, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

Objectives were to study: (1) to study the language skills of early childhood students who receive storybook reading. (2) to compare the language skills of early childhood children who receive different amounts of storybook reading. The Research Methodology study employed a quasi-experimental research design. The sample group consisted of 234 early childhood participants who participated in the storytelling and book-reading project of the Thai Wisdom Association in the following areas: Muang Kae Subdistrict, Tha Tum District, Surin Province, Pong Tao Subdistrict and Na Kae Subdistrict, Ngao District, Lampang Province, Nong Waeng Subdistrict, Somdet District, Kalasin Province. The findings revealed that 65% of the children participating in the project understood the vocabulary in the storybooks and could connect the words they heard with the illustrations in the books. Using One-Way ANOVA, the test of mean score differences based on the F-test showed that early childhood children who received different amounts of storybook reading had significantly different language skill mean scores at the .05 level. Children who were read storybooks more than 900 times had the highest mean scores in all three areas, including: Reading readiness: mean score = 4.65, Language use for communication: mean score = 4.12, Creativity and imagination: mean score = 3.81. Recommendations: 1. Primary schools should organize activities where older students read to younger ones. 2. Families should spend weekends or free time regularly reading books to children. Local administrative organizations responsible for early childhood centers should continue implementing storytelling and reading programs.