For years, storytellers have been going to schools to share stories with children.
However, to date only limited research has been done on the effects of
storytelling on children’s learning. This project was part of an ongoing study
involving several researchers. In this portion of the project, the effects of
storytelling and story reading were compared. The population studied consisted
of kindergarten, first, and second grade students. Half the students were read
stories aloud, the other half were told the same stories by a storyteller. Data were
collected regarding students ability to recall facts they had heard, as well as
students skill in using formal story elements. The students’ interpretations of
story meaning were also examined. Students in both the reading and storytelling
groups improved on most measures. However, on some measures, notably
those regarding recall ability, students in the storytelling group improved more
than students in the reading group.