Delving on Primary Grade Teachers' Approaches to Storytelling as a Tool for Literacy Development

This qualitative study explored primary grade teachers' approaches to storytelling as a tool for literacy development in the elementary schools of Lupon West District, Division of Davao Oriental. The study aimed to understand how storytelling is employed by teachers to enhance literacy skills in young learners. A purposive sample of ten primary grade teachers participated in the study, with data collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The findings revealed that teachers’ experiences in using storytelling approach for literacy development promoted learner-centered instruction, built teachers’ confidence and creativity in storytelling and valued the impact of storytelling on emergent literacy skills. To overcome challenges while using storytelling approach, teachers implemented effective storytelling sessions, planned strategic integration of storytelling and integrated observational rubrics and follow-up literacy tasks. This study contributes valuable insights into the integration of storytelling into early literacy education, demonstrating its potential to enhance language and comprehension skills, support socio-emotional learning and learner engagement and create opportunities for multi-sensory and differentiated learning. The results also provide implications for teacher training and educational practices, emphasizing the importance of incorporating storytelling into primary education to support holistic literacy development.