RALEIGH -- Teachers should do more listening and less talking, particularly when it comes to encouraging literacy in their African-American students. That's the finding of research from the University of North Carolina's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.

The study looked at more than six-thousand students nationwide and found that preschool oral narrative skills were a big predictor of literacy in African-American kindergartners. Researcher Iheoma  Iruka explains what they observed.

"There is something about our language and this narrative skills of children being allowed to share stories and  [converse] and story tell that is really an important aspect to consider for black children in particular."

Iruka and lead author Nicole Gardner-Neblett reviewed their findings and other previous research to determine that oral storytelling is a significant part of many African-American families and has a big influence on how those children learn and participate in the classroom.