스토리텔링 수업이 유아의 어휘력과 흥미도에 미치는 영향

Abstract

The Effect of Storytelling instruction on the development of vocabulary and interest of preschoolers Jung Hee Bae Elementary English Education Graduate School of Education Pukyong National University Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teaching storytelling to promote vocabulary and an interest in English studies of preschoolers. Specifically, the following research questions were set: What impact does storytelling have on the preschoolers’ vocabulary learning? What kind of impact does the storytelling class have on the interest of the preschoolers? As for the research method, a total of 17 preschoolers comprising seven six-year-olds and ten seven-year-olds at a local private language school in Busan participated in the study, and storytelling was integrated into their regular curriculum for eight weeks from November to December 2013. Specifically, the storytelling components were integrated into their regular curriculum with the story book selected one in a week and their regular language classes were progressed alternately for the 6-year-old group while the 7-year-old group was taught mainly using mainly their course book. Based on the data analysis, the following findings were observed: First, in terms of vocabulary learning of the preschoolers, the 6-year-old group seemed to outperform the 7-year-old group where the class was taught only with their course book. Second, in terms of the levels of interest in learning English, the 6-year-old group was shown to be more interested in it than their comparison group. In accordance with this, English learning using storytelling seemed to improve their vocabulary effectively due to the fun aspect of the stories themselves and interesting ways of teaching, thus resulting in a positive effect on the interest of the preschoolers who tend to have a shorter attention span and enjoy being engaged in various types of activities. From the above conclusions, the following suggestions can be made. First, although the storytelling classes are fun, due to their shorter attention span, the younger group got distracted easily due to their shorter attention span so teachers need to be aware that they should adjust the length of the class in consideration of their respective age and attention span. Second, because of a reinforcement effect on the young learners’ vocabulary improvement in relation to the storybooks chosen to the topics of their course book, teachers should bear in mind that they choose storybooks which are directly related to the unit topics. Third, teachers should be aware that in selecting storybooks for preschoolers, children’s level of target language proficiency should be taken into a consideration. Although the age gap between 6-year-olds and 7-year-olds is one year, their respective cognitive and social development can differ significantly so teachers should be fully aware of their potential consequences.