The purpose of this research project is to experiment with the storytelling format in order to discover which formats are most effective in terms of how well the story is received and understood. Story comprehension will be measured with a standard reading comprehension test. It may be possible to have the students complete a survey following the experiment in order to collect qualititive data regarding the effectiveness of their storytelling experiences. And if a survey is utilized, it may be more effective to use an oral survey versus a written survey for the younger student groups.
The first study will consist of two groups of students of the same grade, preferably a middle grade such as 4-6. One group will will come from a class that has been studying the setting for the story. For example, the story is an Indian folk tale, and the class has been studying the country of India. The second group will just have the story with no prior context provided in school. The purpose of this study is to examine recent semantic memory influences.
The second study will involve the same two groups, the the story will be unfamiliar to both groups. One group will be given a visual stimulus related to story then told the story. The second group will be told the story then shown a visual stimulus. The purpose of this study is to examine serial effects in working memory.
Research Expectations
It is expected that the student group studying the story setting in the classroom will have a better comprehension and application of the story. In the second study, better scores should be obtained from the group that was visually primed before the story.
Educational Implications
I think the information gathered will be useful in designing a storytelling program in an educational setting. The results will provide feedback on how to effectively weave a visual stimulus into the storytelling experience. The results may help emphasize the need to collaborate with teachers to choose stories that complement what the students are currently learning in class. Limitations and Weaknesses
A story choice may or may not appeal to certain students, and this may influence the their attention and subsequent performance on a reading comprehension test. Also, it is difficult to factor out any prior knowledge of the story setting in the control group. For example, one child may happen to already know something about India. The study may have to be repeated several times in order to factor out these influences.
Future Research
In order to isolate variables that influence a student's perception of a story, this experimental design is very simple. However, there are countless ways to adapt storytelling to the audience and collect the results for analysis. Visual stimuli in the form of props such as picture books and puppets can be utilized. Auditory stimuli such as music, singing, and rhyming can also be incorporated. Digital storytelling via web sites, movies, and slide shows is gaining popularity in schools. And since many young adults are spending more library time in chat rooms, why not take storytelling to the chat rooms? An outside storyteller or the students themselves could tell stories interactively and virtually during the students' designated library time.
4 comments:
I find storytelling to be part of the arts. A true storyteller can act the part of each character in the story, sometimes they are very realistic. I try to change my voice when reading and make the stories more interesting. Today I pretended I was a talk show host, I wanted to be Oprah but the students told me I couldn't. While I was trying to gain their intrest and get them involved one student leaned over and told another "Mrs. Davis has gone crazy." I found it funny when the other student told him to stop distracting him. What one student is interested in another may not be. Teachers have to be flexible so they can reach all students. The students paint a picture in their mind when they listen to a good storyteller.
Michelle, you are being so creative by incorporating storytelling right there in the classroom -- where it belongs! Storytelling not only exercises the audience's mental imagery, but by using different voices, it also stimulates the auditory modality. These are two aspects that led me to focus on storytelling for my project. If you are looking for more ideas, try Margaret Read MacDonald's book, "The StoryTellers Start-up Book". The book includes a great bibliography for finding additional storytelling resouces.
Priming students for stories is always a great way to begin. A pyramid needs a good foundation to stand and setting the scene for a story provides a great foundation for the reader. Too often we get caught up in the results of the story (worksheets, grades, etc) and fail to take the time to prime the students for their learning (picture walk, etc).
I love to use props with story telling--puppet, objects from the book, etc. I also align the stories we read with the learning theme for our unit. And anytime we can sing a book (or make a song into a book), it's great! I also enjoy using costume props and allowing the students to take on the roles of the characters in the story.
Great idea, Lisa. Your library students will learn bundles from your storytelling!
With all of the demands placed on teachers, storytelling in the classroom is becoming a thing of the past. You are so correct in saying that it enhances listening skills and language skills. Today both are missing in students. Listening is the true beginnging of learning. I believe this is the reason students are having so many learning problems. Storytelling is such a way to get them involved and make them want to listen.
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