Storytelling in a First-Year Seminar

Abstract

Historically, storytelling has been a way to pass knowledge between generations and to facilitate an understanding of beliefs. The aim of this current research was to explore the value of storytelling in the higher education classroom, to address the question “how can sharing stories assist students in constructing new knowledge in the classroom?” The purpose of the study was to see if teaching students how to tell a story and having them tell a story in a Freshman seminar class would enhance and enrich the quality of the knowledge they gained in discussions as students. The research utilized the lens of constructivism and a community of inquiry. Findings shed light on the perceptions of the students and the level of classroom engagement after experiencing guided storytelling. The results demonstrated an increase in engagement in the classroom. Students did not feel they needed story telling guidance, but they did feel storytelling was valuable to their overall experience.