Storytelling-Based Instruction and Oral Linguistic Performance among ESL Learners: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Storytelling can give second-language learners a reason to produce connected speech rather than responding only to individual questions or isolated sentences. However, less is known about its effect on different aspects of oral linguistic performance when these aspects are examined together. This study examined the effect of storytelling-based instruction on the oral performance of higher-education ESL learners using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Sixty-five learners participated in the study, with 36 in the experimental group and 29 in the control group, based on their baseline speaking performance. The experimental group received five weeks of storytelling-based instruction, whereas the control group continued with regular classroom instruction. Oral performance was assessed before and after the intervention in five areas: sentence flow, spontaneity, pauses and fillers, confidence and expressiveness, and vocabulary use. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Classroom observations and research-diary records were also used to provide contextual information about learner development. Across the five areas assessed, the experimental group recorded greater improvement than the control group. After baseline performance was taken into account, the between-group differences were statistically significant for sentence flow, F (1, 62) = 18.74, p < .001, ηp² = .23; spontaneity, F (1, 62) = 16.52, p < .001, ηp² = .21; pauses and fillers, F (1, 62) = 14.86, p < .001, ηp² = .19; confidence and expressiveness, F (1, 62) = 20.31, p < .001, ηp² = .25; and vocabulary use, F (1, 62) = 12.67, p = .001, ηp² = .17. The results suggest that a structured storytelling approach can create useful opportunities for sustained oral production and may support several aspects of learners’ speaking performance when narrative work is combined with guided classroom practice.