ABSTRACT
This study evaluated the effectiveness of storytelling as an instructional strategy in improving the reading and literacy performance of Grade 1 learners at Don Felipe Elementary School, Kananga II District, Leyte Division. Specifically, it aimed to determine the performance of Grade 1 learners in reading and literacy before and after the integration of storytelling, to identify if there is a significant difference between the two performances, and to propose an improvement plan based on the findings. The study utilized a quasi-experimental research design employing a pre-test and post-test approach. Twenty-one (21) Grade 1 learners were selected through complete enumeration. The Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) was used to evaluate learners’ decoding, word recognition, and comprehension skills. The results revealed that the learners’ pre-test performance was generally Poor, with a weighted mean of 5.05, indicating low literacy and comprehension levels prior to the intervention. After the integration of storytelling, a significant improvement was observed, with the post-test yielding a weighted mean of 22.62, interpreted as Very Good. The computed t-value of 34.75 exceeded the critical t-value of 2.09 at a 0.05 level of significance, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. This indicates a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores, affirming that storytelling had a substantial positive effect on learners’ reading and literacy performance. The study concludes that storytelling is an effective pedagogical approach that enhances learners’ comprehension, vocabulary, and engagement in reading activities. It is recommended that storytelling be integrated regularly into early-grade literacy instruction, and that teachers receive continuous training in storytelling techniques to foster creativity, motivation, and improved reading outcomes among young learners.
Keywords: Effectiveness, Storytelling Techniques, Performance, Grade 1 Learners, Reading and Literacy
INTRODUCTION
Stories are interesting and motivating, thus attracting listeners and promoting communication. As storytellers, students can do it all – read, write, listen, and speak. The relaxed atmosphere and lively environment created by stories encourages the students to talk and discuss with each other. They have fun experimenting with voice, facial expressions, emotion, and gestures that make the story “just right” for telling. As they present their story, the art of listening becomes a two-way street. By using good eye contact and body language these storytellers communicate with their audience. As students tell and listen to a story, they become caught up in the story and forget about themselves and their nervousness. They become more self-confident in expressing themselves creatively. The activities and skills that they learn will be used across the curriculum and throughout life. When we hear the word 'storytelling' automatically people will often think of children. But these people would be surprised to know that those fairytales that we grew up with were not originally meant for kids.
Storytelling has long been recognized as a powerful tool for engaging audiences and conveying important messages. In education, storytelling has also been linked to improvements in reading comprehension, particularly for struggling readers and English language learners. However, there is still much to learn about the specific features of storytelling that are most beneficial for improving reading comprehension outcomes and the contexts in which storytelling interventions are most effective.
Storytelling refers to a method that conveys or shares a narrative or sequence of events through words, images, or other forms of communication. It is usually provided through the presentation of characters, settings, conflicts, and resolutions within a structured narrative framework while utilizing various elements such as plot, dialogue, description, and imagery to engage the audience and convey a message or meaning (Khamsuk & Whanchit, 2021). Storytelling is an effective teaching strategy for children to enhance their reading abilities and engagement with the material (Satrini, 2019; Fitri & Ginting, 2021). Additionally, listening to stories during learning promotes creativity, empathy, selfconfidence, and overall cognitive and emotional growth (Hammond, 2015; Wajnryb, 2003; Sitaresmi & Ginting, 2022).
In addition to improving reading skills, storytelling fosters critical thinking and helps children understand the order and structure of stories. For example, Renandya (2007) claims that storytelling can improve the comprehension of stories and assist students in transitioning from receptive reading while employing their reading and listening abilities to productive speaking and writing skills. Moreover, Cron (2012) argues that "we are wired to turn to story to teach us the way of the world." It means that, as humans, we are inclined to seek out stories to understand and learn about the world around us. Thus, storytelling is deeply ingrained in our nature and plays a significant role in making sense of our experiences, making connections, and gaining insights into life's complexities.
For young learners, reading comprehension is an essential skill because it allows them to comprehend and infer meaning from written material (Akhmetova et al., 2022; Amalia, 2023). Early acquisition of solid comprehension abilities establishes the groundwork for both lifetime learning and academic performance. Storytelling is one of the techniques in making learners read.
Listening is one of the macro skills in reading. It is a pre-requisite to learning to read. Through listening to stories, children started to speak and imitate the uttered words of the storyteller. Moreover, exposing children to storytelling help them understand the lessons convey in the story. After listening, the children started to decode words. The first approach is decoding; it is the capacity to precisely identify and sound out words. It is vital for novices since comprehension is enhanced by decoding fluency (Sinha et al., 2024). The second approach is the development of vocabulary. It means gaining an understanding of word meanings is essential to understand a text's overall meaning. Furthermore, to increase vocabulary, readers may concentrate on word usage and context hints (Moon & Grace Kim, 2024). The third approach of reading comprehension is background information (Valcárcel Jiménez et al., 2024). Learners can better integrate new information with what they already know when they have prior knowledge about a subject. Background information promotes more in-depth interaction with the content. The last approach is active participation. Students are better able to engage with the text in a meaningful way when they ask questions, make predictions, and visualize (Cockerill et al., 2023).
Reading is an important language skill and a highly complicated act that everyone must learn. Reading is not a single skill but a combination of many skills and processes in which the readers interact with printed words and texts for content and pleasure. Improving the reading performance of learners starts with understanding the stories listened to.
The utilization of storytelling as an instructional approach greatly facilitates students in contextualizing the reading text. This is evident through the students' responses, which demonstrate their comprehension of the story's context and their prior exposure to the "Mary and Martha" narrative in a church setting. As a result, when the writer begins teaching, the students already possess a solid understanding of the storyline. Moreover, when encountering unfamiliar English vocabulary, the writer provides direct instruction to assist students in pronouncing and interpreting the words accurately. Hence, it is essential to start teaching reading through the listening of stories.
Being an aspiring grade 1 teacher, it is important to know several strategies that would give impact to learning especially reading. Thus, it is in this premise that the researcher, being a teacher applicant, wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of storytelling in improving the performance of grade 1 learners in reading and literacy. As observed, some of the learners still having trouble in understanding what has been listened to. Believing that through constant listening activities, in the form of storytelling, comprehension skills will be developed. Hence, this study was formulated to evaluate the effectiveness of storytelling in the performance of grade 1 learners in reading and literacy. A proposed improvement plan will be formulated based on the findings of the study. Therefore, it is in the rationale that the researcher who is currently an aspirant teacher in the above mentioned local, would like to delve worthy research undertaking that would benefit herself, the school she is currently teaching and that of her Graduate Program she is enrolled at.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of storytelling techniques in improving the performance of grade 1 learners in reading and literacy of Don Felipe Elementary School, Kananga II District, Leyte Division. The findings of the study were the basis for the proposed improvement plan.
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