Learning through narrative socialization

This articles briefly introduces the role of narrative socialization in the life-course, then focuses on narrative socialization during childhood. The early stages of narrative development are discussed in relation to play and different narrative genres, and studies on participation structure in the family conarration are summarized. It is then emphasized the role of narrative in the development of reasoning and thinking skills. A large section is devoted to research concerning differences in narrative socialization related to gender, social class, and ethnic background. A final section includes a few considerations on the methodology of narrative research.