Means to an end: Children's knowledge of directives during the elementary school years

Abstract

This report examines elementary school‐age children's knowledge of directives. It presents findings of cross‐sectional research which contrasted first‐, third‐, and fifth‐grade students’ comprehension, production of, and reasoning about directives varying in degree of explicitness. The children listened to picture book stories in which directives were embedded and, subsequently, answered questions related to pragmatic relations expressed in the texts. Significant findings indicate that children's knowledge of directives continues to develop during the elementary school years. Developments in directive knowledge are revealed in improvements in pragmatic skills associated with comprehension and production of a wide range of directives as well as in improvements in pragmatic reasoning.