Abstract
We investigate the development of text reconstruction abilities in Hebrew-speaking children, with a particular focus on verbal passive constructions. The acquisition of verbal passives in Hebrew is a late developmental milestone, closely tied to the expression of event semantics. The current study explores how narrative and informative text genres influence (a) written textual retelling and (b) the reconstruction of verbal passives within texts. The study sample consisted of 90 native Hebrew-speaking participants, spanning 5 age/schooling groups from 4th grade to adulthood. The retell tasks included (a) a narrative text describing episodic events and (b) an informative text structured as an encyclopedic entry. Each participant produced 2 written texts – 1 narrative and 1 informative – resulting in a total of 180 written texts. We analysed these texts in comparison to the source material in terms of (a) text length, (b) content unit reconstruction and (c) the reconstruction of passive verbs, both familiar and novel. Results indicated that the reconstruction of both textual content and passive verbs was primarily influenced by the text genre. Narrative text reconstruction and the use of passive forms improved with age and schooling, with narratives proving easier to reconstruct than informative texts. Our findings suggest that the ability to reconstruct Hebrew verbal passives begins in early adolescence and is linked to the later-emerging ability to express different perspectives on events. These results underscore the importance of considering genre as a discourse-based factor in both school instruction and remedial interventions for school-aged children. Therefore, Hebrew-speaking children must gain experience in textual comprehension and production throughout their schooling years to facilitate the acquisition and use of passive constructions.
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