Attitudes to Storytelling Among Adult ESL learners

Abstract

This study investigated tertiary second language learners’ attitudes toward storytelling as a classroom activity. Instruction and practice in storytelling were given to 26 international undergraduates for ten weeks. Questionnaires were administered before and after the treatment to assess learners’ interest in storytelling and beliefs about its effectiveness as a learning task. The results of the pre-treatment questionnaire showed that while participants’ interest in storytelling was very low, their expectations of its effectiveness were relatively high. Asian or low proficient participants indicated higher interest than Europeans or high proficient learners. The results of the post-treatment questionnaire showed that participants’ attitudes changed only slightly. The results suggest that initial interest and expectations might play an important role in maximizing the effectiveness of storytelling for adult second language learners

Keywords

• storytelling, attitudes, motivation, interest, adult L2 learners

Kaynakça

1. Braunstein, L. (2006). Adult ESL learners’ attitudes toward movement (TPR) and drama (TPR Storytelling) in the classroom. CATESOL Journal 18(1), 7-20.
2. Brown, H.D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
3. Collins, R. & Copper, P. J. (2005). The power of story: Teaching through storytelling (2nd ed.) Long Grove, IL.: Waveland
4. Celce-Murcia, M. (Ed). (2001). Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed.) Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.
5. Colon-Vila, L. (1997). Storytelling in an ESL classroom. Teaching K-8, 27(5), 58-59.
6. Corbin, S. S., & Chiachiere, F. J. (1995). Validity and reliability of a scale measuring attitudes toward foreign language. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 55, 258-267.
7. Davis, D. (2001). That’s what mamas do [DVD]. Little Rock, AR: August House.
8. Davis, D. (2010). Donald Davis Storyteller. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ddavisstoryteller.com/.

9. Fisher, W. R. (1987). Human communication as narration: Toward a philosophy of reason, value, and action. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.
10. Fitzgibbon, H. B, & Wilhelm, K. H. (1998). Storytelling in ESL/EFL classrooms. TESL Reporter, 31(2), 21-31.
11. Foster, S. J. (2011). Processing instruction and teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling: A study of input in the second language classroom. (Unpublished M.A. thesis). University of North Texas, Denton, TX.
12. Garvie, E. (1990). Stories as vehicle: Teaching English to young children. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
13. Hamilton, M., & Weiss, M. (2005). Children tell stories: Teaching and using storytelling in the classroom (2nd ed.). Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
14. Hendrickson, J. M. (1992). Storytelling for foreign language learners. (Eric Document Reproduction Service No. ED355 824)
15. Hines, M. (1995). Story theater. English Teaching Forum 33(1). 6-11. International Storytelling Center (2011). 2011 National Storytelling Festival. Retrieved Jan. 7, 2011 from the World Wide Web: http://www.storytellingcenter.net/.
16. Isbell, R., Sobol, J., Lindauer, L., and Lawrence, A. (2004). The effects of storytelling and story reading on the oral language complexity and story comprehension of young children. Early Childhood Education Journal 32(3), 157-163.
17. Jianing, Xu. (2007). Storytelling in the EFL Speaking Classroom. The Internet TESL Journal, XIII (11), November 2007. http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Jianing-Storytelling.html. retrieved Oct. 28, 2012.
18. Jones, R. (2001). A consciousness-raising approach to the teaching of conversational storytelling skills. ELT Journal, 55(2), 155-163.
19. Kang, J. Y. (2004). Telling a coherent a story in a foreign Language: Analysis of Korean EFL learners’ referential strategies in oral narrative discourse. Journal of Pragmatics, 36(11), 1975-1990.
20. Ko, J., Schallert, D. L., and Walters, K. (2003). Rethinking scaffolding: Examining negotiation of meaning in an ESL storytelling task. TESOL Quarterly 37(2). 303-324.
21. Ma, R. (1994). Storytelling as Teaching-Learning Strategy: A nonnative instructor’s perspective. Paper presented at the 80th annual convention of the Speech Communication Association. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED379713).
22. McPhie, M. (2010) Marilyn McPhie Storyteller. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from the World Wide Web: http://www.marilynmcphie.com/calendar.html. National Storytelling Association (1997). What is Storytelling? Retrieved July 13, 2011, from the World Wide Web: http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/st_defn.htm.
23. Morgan, J., & Rinvolucri, M. (1983). Once Upon a Time: Using Stories in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
24. Nicholas, B. J., Rossiter, M. J., & Abbott, M. (2011). The power of story in the ESL classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 67(2), 247-268.
25. Ray, B. (2012). What is TPRS?.Retrieved from http://www.blaineraytprs.com/component/content/article?id=4 Renninger, K. A., Hidi, S., and Krapp. A. (1992). The role of interest in learning and development. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
26. Sobol, J. (2008). Contemporary storytelling: Revived traditional art and protean social agent. Storytelling, Self, Society, 4(2), 122-133.
27. Stenson, G. (2003). Listening fluency with conversational storytelling. Bulletin of Hokuriku University, 27, 137-143.
28. Trostle, S. & Hicks, S. J. (1998). The effects of storytelling versus story reading on comprehension and vocabulary
29. knowledge of British primary school children. Reading Improvement 35, No. 3, 127-36.
30. VanPatten, B. (1996). Input processing and grammar instruction. Norwood, NJ: Ablex. Wajnryb, Ruth. (2003). Stories: Narrative activities for the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
31. Weinburgh, M. H. (2000). Gender, ethnicity, and grade level as predictors of middle school students’ attitudes toward science. Current Issues in Middle Level Education. 72-84.
32. Wilner, L. K. & Feinstein-Whittaker, M. (n.d.). Storytelling in the ESL classroom: Results of online survey. In ESL Rules, LLC. Retrieved Oct. 28, 2012, from http://www.eslrules.com/documents/Result-of-Survey-handout.pdf.
33. Wright, A. (1995). Storytelling with Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.