A Comparison of Fifth Grade Students’ Listening Behaviors Using Two Presentation Techniques: Storytelling and Read Aloud

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of storytelling and reading aloud on fifth grade students' listening behaviors and preference of presentation technique. What presentation technique motivates a student to listen and what could we expect to observe when this is occurring? The subjects were from two different classrooms. There were 23 from one fifth grade class and 24 from the other classroom. They remained in their own classrooms for the procedure. The students were presented with the telling of two stories told by the same professional storyteller. One story had been memorized and was told without the use of a book, while the other was a story that was read from a book, called a read aloud. Each group of children was observed during the storytelling and read aloud sessions. Notes were taken during the presentations on the behaviors that students exhibit. Following each story, each classroom completed a short questionnaire. After their second, or final presentation, they completed a long form questionnaire, consisting of questions that would indicate how they felt during the presentations, their preference, and what they comprehended as well. Student questionnaires were collected and analyzed for common responses. The researcher looked for correlation between overt interest and active listening behaviors and preference of presentation technique.