Initiation, Response, and Follow-Up Sequences in Play Situations and Story Reading in Preschool

The language used by teachers has been found to be closely associated with the oral language of the children in their care. The types of questions that teachers ask and the way they follow-up children’s responses constitute initiationresponse-follow-up (IRF) sequences, which are an important aspect of teacher-student verbal exchanges. In preschool, these sequences have been studied mostly in book reading interactions. The present study compares IRF sequences in 2 situations: book reading and play. The sample comprised 10 preschools, purposively selected in the province of Entre Ríos, Argentina. Specifically, the participants were 10 teachers and 300 children. Employing a micro analytical approach, 13 audio recordings of book reading and 16 of corner play were analyzed. To evaluate the differences between the types of questions, responses, and follow-up in the 2 situations, the χ2 test was used. In addition, a sequential analysis was performed of the relationship between the type and complexity of the question, of the response, and of the follow-up. Results show that both situations predominantly feature low complexity or literal questions and low-level follow-ups, such as confirmation, evaluation, falsification, and response. Relevantly, the type and complexity of the question asked by the teacher strongly determine the complexity of the children’s response. The didactic implications of this study are discussed, specifically regarding teaching practices and teacher education.