These stories have become yours: Repeated storytelling in a multicultural first-grade setting.

摘要

This dissertation is an investigation of storytelling as a socio-cognitive phenomenon with implications for literacy practice. Based on the premise that storytelling constitutes an under utilized form of story presentation, this grounded theory study considered that broader use of storytelling as a school-based literacy event may address the ongoing struggle to develop classroom practices that facilitate cultural inclusiveness and ultimately diminish the hegemony inherent in the achievement gap.; A limited research base considers storytelling and early literacy. However, the literature is silent regarding the repetition of stories-told and substantive level theory of literacy behaviors generated by storytelling as part of an early literacy setting.; Literacy is perceived as a form of capital; facility with language is recognized as cultural capital. In contrast, storytelling, often associated with preliterate cultures, represents under utilized cultural capital. It is under utilized, that is, in school-based literacy activities, as opposed to homes and other community-based settings where storytelling, broadly defined, is simply a part of the daily discourse. As such, storytelling as a classroom literacy event might foster cultural and narrative congruence between school and community discourses.; Over a 4-week period, in an ethnically diverse class of 24 first-graders, 6 storytelling sessions, comprised of 3 pourquoi stories from the Cherokee oral tradition, were presented by a Cherokee storyteller. The study documented students' responses surrounding the storytelling session, including reading attempts of written transcripts of the storyteller's stories.; A grounded theory was developed that described the impact of participants' variable memories, generated by the repeated storytelling sessions, and positioned in relation to animated and lengthy reading attempts by the participants. These reading attempts demonstrated simulated fluency that appeared to provide emergent readers with the experience of successfully navigating complex narratives at word recognition accuracy rates that exceeded expectations based on documented reading abilities of the participants. The findings from this study suggest teachers should use repeated presentations of high interest, complex stories through the medium of storytelling to inspire enthusiasm and confidence in emergent readers.