The Relationship between Oral Narrative Production and Expository Text Comprehension of Fifth-Grade Students

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to determine if there is a relationship between oral narrative production and the reading comprehension of expository text. The researcher measured both overall and component scores for expository text comprehension and oral narrative production ability of 40 typically-developing fifth grade students. Findings included a moderate correlation between overall expository comprehension and oral narrative production. A significant linear regression indicated that oral narrative production and background knowledge accounted for 18.9% of the variance in expository comprehension. Lastly, significant differences were found in the means of overall oral narrative production, narrative elements, and oral narrative in the single-scene picture condition between the low and high comprehension groups. An implication of this research is that classroom teachers could explore using an oral narrative-based intervention to improve the expository text comprehension of their fifth-grade students.