Antsy Students Impatient to Leave Class & Faculty Captive in NPR Driveway Moments? Enhancing Science Classes with Personal Stories

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

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 languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationTelling stories
Subtitle of host publicationThe art & science of storytelling as an instructional strategy
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association
Pages98-115
StatePublished - 2015

Keywords

  • story-telling
  • self-disclosure
  • pedagogy

Disciplines

  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  • Interpersonal and Small Group Communication
  • Psychology

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