Abstract
Storytelling aids student memory and learning. Instructors self-disclose personal stories and this helps students feel connected to their teachers and the subject. Storytelling and self-disclosure increase students’ perceptions of their affective, behavioral, and cognitive learning. It helps students engage more in class and use class concepts. Personal storytelling also improves students’ perceptions of the teacher’s credibility and leads to higher course evaluations. Many examples provided illustrate the use of personal storytelling during class. In the present study 174 students answered 182 multiple choice test items in an Introductory Psychology class. The topics of most test items were covered in class in one of five pedagogical uses of stories, or in a control condition (i.e., no story on topic). A story by attendance interaction revealed that while class attendance always helps students perform better, when the topics were taught with a story, the students who were in attendance were especially likely to benefit, F(6,167)=10.479, p<.005.
Original language | American English |
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Title of host publication | Telling stories |
Subtitle of host publication | The art & science of storytelling as an instructional strategy |
Publisher | American Psychological Association |
Pages | 98-115 |
State | Published - 2015 |
Keywords
- story-telling
- self-disclosure
- pedagogy
Disciplines
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
- Interpersonal and Small Group Communication
- Psychology