A qualitative analysis of kindergarteners’ open-ended drawing and story telling opportunities

The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the themes in the written productions of 114 kindergarten students. Participants were from two schools in different regions in the United States and were given an open-ended opportunity to draw and subsequently dictate a story. Content analysis was performed and six themes emerged: (a) family, (b) inanimate objects/personal belongings, (c) activities/events, (d) fantasy stories, (e) self-talk/reflection, and (f) nature/outdoors. Comparative analysis was performed for both gender and ethnicity and few differences were found between boys’ and girls’ stories or across ethnicities. Recommendations were included for teachers and families to allow young children more open-ended literacy opportunities and future research to analyze children’s drawings and stories between classrooms and across grade levels were included.