Embracing the Use of Stories to Improve Student Achievement and Student Character

Michael Mendonca
School of Education, Thompson Rivers University
Kamloops, BC

Author Note

A capstone project submitted to Thompson Rivers University in partial fulfilment of the
requirements of the degree of Master of Education.

November 29th , 2020

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Table Of Contents
Abstract

3

Chapter One: Introduction

4

Developing Interest In Storytelling

4

Significance of Storytelling

5

Presenting the Argument

6

Organization of Paper

7

Chapter Two: Literature Review
Stories are Relational

8
8

Leading Storied Lives

9

Deepening Classroom Relationships

9

Positive Relationships and Achievement

10

Other Learning Strategies to Build Relationships

11

Stories Engage Imagination and Emotions

11

The Power of the Story Form

11

Storytelling and Making Connections

13

Engagement and student achievement

14

Other Forms of Engagement

15

Stories Develop Character

15

Developing Values and Virtues

16

Stories Help Develop Empathy

17

Learning Influences for Character Development

17

Summary
Chapter Three: Application to my Professional Life

18
20

Applications as a Student

20

Applications as a Teacher

22

Applications to Grade 5 Curriculum

25

Summary

30

Chapter Four: Conclusion

32

Summary

32

Implications

35

References

37
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Abstract
There seems to be a necessity in many schools these days to find learning strategies that
will help improve student achievement. In the mission statement of many schools is also an
expression of a desire to form the character of students. In my own journey through the MEd
program, I have been looking for strategies to improve student achievement and character. My
claim in this paper is that stories are a learning strategy that can help improve student
achievement and student character. I claim that stories help build relationships, engage the
imagination and emotion of students and build character. I give various examples and reasons for
why stories help build relationships, engage the imagination and build character through the
literature review. I also make the case, through the literature review, that building positive
relationships and engaging students will help improve student achievement. The application of
this paper shares my experience as a student where I was able to understand abstract concepts,
build relationships and gain interest in a subject through the power of stories. I also share my
experiences as a teacher with facilitating story sharing and how this helped build positive and
deeper relationships in the classroom. Finally, I share particular examples of stories and their
application to various subjects in the Grade 5 curriculum. This paper contributes to the literature
about learning strategies that help build relationships, engage students and form character. I hope
that curriculum committees see the importance of stories when designing curriculum. More
importantly, I hope this paper encourages discussion about learning strategies that build
relationships, engage the heart and mind of students and form the character of students.

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Chapter One: Introduction
In the introduction, I discuss my developing interest in storytelling and how it relates to
learning experiences in the M.Ed. program. I describe the significance of storytelling as a
learning strategy in the wider context of teachers and parents that will use it. I present the main
argument of this paper which contains my claim and supporting reasons. Finally, I describe the
organization of this paper and how it will flow.
Developing Interest In Storytelling
In my elementary studies in an Indian school system, there was an emphasis on
memorization and rote learning and I did not feel engaged in the learning. This contrasted
sharply with my experience as a university student. I was particularly intrigued when one of my
professors narrated personal stories to explain abstract concepts. The stories were related to the
abstract concepts that we were covering and they were very interesting. It gave me an
appreciation for the topics, stirred my imagination and emotions and they also helped me
develop a deeper bond with the professor. It made me curious about the power of stories since I
myself was so engaged during the narration of them.
As a teacher, I have had the pleasure of narrating many different stories to my students.
Visually, I notice that their heads perk up, their eyes lighten up and many students seem to
participate in questions asked about the story. Students then learn to extend the story and write
different endings with different characters. I hear them talking about it in other classes and
recess. We have done some fun showcases around the stories where students showcase their
understanding of the story in a variety of different ways like constructing artifacts, singing,
dancing and drawing. I understood as a teacher that stories have an interesting way of engaging
students, helping them learn and stirring their imagination and emotions.
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I pursued my M.Ed. program with the intention of choosing courses that would help me
support the kids I teach better. I wanted to have the expertise, knowledge and skills to better
serve the students I teach. There were a number of mandatory courses I took that helped me
broaden my horizons about education and leadership like research methods, diversity, curriculum
planning, philosophy & history of education, educational leadership. The electives that I choose
are the courses that helped me develop the skills to serve the students I teach which include
counselling. I learned to be more aware about their needs through the course on assessment in
counselling. However, it is the course about inquiry learning that taught me how to plan and
structure my units in a way where there is greater engagement and relevance in the learning. It
made me curious about learning strategies that could keep students engaged. Through this
course I was introduced to various tools to engage students and one of the tools I was introduced
to was stories. As I continued to pursue courses in the M.Ed., I began to self-reflect more on
some of my biggest desires about education. It was through completing the Philosophy of
Education course that I realized that I have a desire to form kids to be virtuous leaders. This
made me curious about the power of stories as a learning strategy to shape character and develop
virtues in addition to being a learning strategy to engage students for academic achievement.
Significance of Stories
Connelly and Clandinin (1990) argue that humans are storytelling organisms who,
individually and socially, lead storied lives. We make sense of our experiences through stories
and we like to listen to other people's stories. It is the way we are built and the way we bond with
one another.
​We all know students that are engaged in learning with their heart and mind are more
focused and tend to learn more. So the question is what learning strategy could there be that will
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engage students' hearts and minds? Educational stakeholders would be interested in a learning
strategy like the use of stories that builds relationships, sparks the imagination and emotions and
builds character.
The story form brings out the emotional force in a content and tells us how to feel about
certain content (Egan & Judson, 2016). In doing so, the story ties our emotions and intellect with
the content. This definitely impacts teachers who decide on how to teach content in various
aspects of the curriculum. A story could be tied to many different areas of the curriculum to
engage students both emotionally and intellectually.
Presenting the Argument
In this article, I claim that stories, as a learning strategy, improves student achievement
and student character development. The primary reason stories are an excellent learning strategy
is because stories are relational. Rhodes (2019) shares more about how personal stories can be
engaging when he discusses how stories can be powerful tools that, when utilized effectively,
help forge and enhance relationships. When students are in a proper relationship with us,
teachers can be a powerful force towards helping students build good habits and achieving to the
best of their ability. Secondly, relevant story telling keeps students engaged emotionally and
intellectually. Egan and Judson (2016) claim that stories “engage human minds by tying up our
emotions and imaginations with their content” (Egan & Judson, 2016, p.19). You can see kids'
eyes lighten up and you can notice them responding as they are engaged with their intellect and
emotions in the storytelling process. Stories have a way to help students make connections to
what they know and expand their horizons to new dimensions. Finally, stories can be used as a
learning strategy to develop character. James et al. (2015) note that Jesus engaged people’s
attention through the use of narratives. Jesus and his followers were successful in converting so

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many people to Christianity and, in doing so, shaping their character, so we should pay attention
to his methods. By using relevant narratives, we can keep students emotionally and intellectually
engaged, to achieve to the best of their ability and to hone their character.
Organization of Paper
In this paper I argue that stories as a learning strategy helps improve student achievement
and student character development. This paper begins by discussing how stories are relational.
Stories are the way we are built and it helps us connect with others better. The connection
between relational stories and student achievement is made. Secondly, stories engage the
imagination and emotions. This will be demonstrated through the power of the story form, and
by demonstrating how stories can be used to make connections to topics in the curriculum.
Finally, a case is made about how stories can be used for character development. The next
chapter of this paper will look at personal experiences of story as a student and a teacher. I will
also discuss particular applications of stories to the Grade 5 curriculum. In my conclusion, I will
summarize the key learnings of this paper and the implications of my research.

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Chapter Two: Literature Review
The next chapter will discuss the evidence for the claim that stories improve student
achievement and student character. The primary reason identified is that stories help develop
positive relationships between the student and the teacher and between students. These positive
relationships lead to improved student achievement. The literature about other learning strategies
that help improve student achievement is also reviewed. Finally, the literature for other
strategies, besides stories, to help improve relationships is also discussed.
The second reason identified is that stories engage the imagination and emotions.
Evidence for the link between engagement and student achievement is identified. The literature
for other forms of engagement besides stories is reviewed. The evidence for the relationship
between engagement and student achievement is also identified.
The third reason has more to do with how stories help with character development.
Evidence for how stories help instill certain values and build empathy is discussed. Finally, the
literature for other learning strategies to be used to build character is also discussed.
Stories are Relational
Before I can discuss how stories can help deepen relationships, I have to discuss how
stories are a natural part of how we organize and make sense of life experiences. Next, the
evidence for stories deepening relationships is reviewed. The evidence for the link between
positive relationships and student achievement is reviewed. Finally, the evidence for other
learning strategies, besides stories, to build relationships is reviewed.
Leading Storied Lives
The way we as individuals organize our life experiences as stories and draw meaning
from them, can be a great way to build relationships between students and the teacher. Stories are
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the form through which we organize and make sense of our life experiences (Rhodes, 2019). It is
important that these stories be heard in the classroom. A teacher should facilitate a positive and
safe environment so that students have an opportunity to share stories and the teacher also has
the opportunity to share stories. Rhodes (2019) discusses how he has seen and heard the power
of stories by participating in circles where personal stories are shared. By hearing students'
unique and powerful stories, teachers and other students can get an understanding of students'
culture, neighborhood and hence teachers can get a better sense of how students are making
meaning of their world (Rhodes, 2019). Such sharing helps build peer to peer relationships and
teacher to student relationships (Rhodes, 2019).
Deepening Classroom Relationships

Stories provide a way for teachers to build connection, rapport and deepen relationships.
For classes, where teachers have a strong pedagogical knowledge but they want to create a
classroom climate where students are receptive to learning, they should consider telling stories to
connect with students better (Rhodes, 2019). Fleming (2001) discusses how this is common in
the business world as a leadership strategy, as where CEO’s of fortune 500 companies use
narration as a strategy to motivate and increase work productivity. Using this knowledge as a
background, Rhodes (2019) concludes that stories provide a way for voices to be heard and
experiences to be shared. When students' voices are heard, they feel like they belong, a deeper
connection is established and they feel loved and cared for, which is a great climate to learn
better.
Studies have shown the difference between oral storytelling and story reading. Oral
storytelling refers to the relation of a story using elements like pitch, inflection and also
non-verbal language like gesture, pause, physical expression. The storyteller is attuned and
responsive to the audience (Hibbin, 2016). The oral form has been found to be a more interactive
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and personal experience (Aina, 1999; Ellis, 1997; Malo & Bullard, 2000). For example, students
realize that characters in stories have certain consistent characteristics and they might be more
drawn or connected to certain characters in a story based on their personal experience (Malo &
Bullard, 2000).
Positive Relationships and Achievement
In a study involving undergraduate tourism and hospitality students, studies have shown
that positive affectivity and student engagement has improved student achievement (Uludag,
2016). ​ ​Positive affectivity “reflects the extent to which a person feels enthusiastic, active, and
alert” (Watson et al., 1988, p. 1063). These feelings of enthusiasm, activeness and alertness seem
to happen in the climate of a deep and positive relationship. Hence, we can make the case that
positive relationships lead to positive feelings which improve student achievement. Besides
positive relationships, achievement is also related to instructional elements like social
interaction, meaningful learning, presentation quality, attendance, self-regulation, academic goal
setting, time and study management and peer learning (​Schneider & Preckel, 2017). Another
study reviewed saw the relationship between positive teacher student relationship and an
improvement in Math achievement. This was primarily due to the positive relationship between
the teacher and student having an effect on reducing Math anxiety and hence improving
achievement in Math (Semeraro et al., 2020).

Other Learning Strategies to Build Relationships
Besides stories, another learning strategy that could be used to build relationships in
primary students is art therapy. The specific aspects of art therapy that were considered include
art therapy being a safe place, learning coping strategies, expressing thinking and talking in art,
making art and the art being social and fun (​McDonald & Holttum, 2020). In a book about the
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different responsibilities of a teacher, ​Hedges & ​Ohio State University​ (2000)​ discusses the need
to design activities that are motivational to build teacher and student relationships. This would
include activities that allow students to release suppressed energy and emotions and activities
that allow students to demonstrate their learning in a variety of different ways (Hedges et. al,
2000). Further strategies to develop teacher student relationships include involving students in
the lesson through the use of discussions, discovery approaches, individual assignments and
group planning (Hedges et. al, 2000).
Stories Engage Imagination and Emotions
In the section below evidence is provided about why stories engage the imagination and
emotions. This includes the power of the story form and how stories help make connections. The
relationship between engagement and student achievement is discussed. Finally, the evidence for
other ways to engage students besides stories, is also discussed.
The Power of the Story Form
We now turn to how stories are formed to engage the imagination and emotions. Egan &
Judson (2016) have written a book called “Imagination and the Engaged Learner Cognitive tools
for the classroom” and one of the tools mentioned are stories. Stories are “forms of language that
tell us how to feel about their content” (Egan & Judson, 2016, p. 19). Through the use of stories
and related questions, teachers can direct and control how students feel about certain content.
The authors go on to say that the story form “brings about the emotional meaning of the elements
it contains” (Egan & Judson, 2016, p. 20). Teachers now have a powerful way to bring out
meaning in content, especially if a concept is abstract and it needs some context. A teacher can
start their planning of a topic by asking themselves “What is the story on this topic?” (Egan &
Judson, 2016, p. 20). By asking this question, teachers can think of meaningful questions and

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activities that shape topics that uniquely bring out their emotional meaning. Stories are different
from an instructional text that would convey or describe information. By adding a story around
an instructional text, they shape their content so that we feel good or bad, joyful or sorrowful as
we receive the information (Egan & Judson, 2016, p. 20).
Stories are something that are part of the human experience. We narrate different
experiences in our lives as stories. We see our careers as stories. We listen to news events and
documentaries as stories (Egan & Judson, 2016, p. 21). They essentially represent a basic way of
organizing the human experience (Snyder, 2007, p. 67). Paradise (2020) in an article about the
power of re-telling the salvation story discusses how listening and telling a story has a lot of
power. Paradise (2020) discusses how we are influenced by other people’s stories. As children,
when we hear a story from an adult, we grow in understanding of our own self-worth and
identity. We learn that we are worth spending time for (Paradise, 2020). At the end of a lesson,
where the teacher has intentionally begun the lesson planning process by identifying the story on
the topic, the student should feel something about that topic (Egan & Judson, 2016). Egan and
Judson (2016) also offer a bright perspective for educators when he discusses how “thinking
about lessons and units of study as good stories to tell, rather than simply as sets of objectives to
attain, can help bring some extra energy and interest into teaching and learning” (Egan & Judson,
2016, p. 25).
Storytelling and Making Connections
Literature invites a reaction and response. Schulz & North Dakota Univ. (1992) in his
work about reading stories and making connections across the curriculum discusses the
importance of inviting a response to literature and making connections between stories read and
the curriculum. Schultz et. al (1992) gives an example of a teacher who used properly

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constructed questions, together with activities, to make connections to different areas of the
curriculum. Though the findings of this study are not presented, Schulz et al. (1992) presents
many examples of how a story can be connected to other areas of the curriculum. Literature is
not purely to be taught for comprehension, reading skills, to understand plot and the summary of
a story (Schulz et al., 1992). By inviting this reaction and response, students bring and take
meaning from stories (Schultz et al., 1992). In what Schulz et al. (1992) refer to as “aesthetic
reading” of a story, as opposed to reading just for comprehension, readers “select out ideas,
sensations, feelings, and images from their past linguistic, literary, and life experiences and
synthesize them into a new experience” (Schulz et al., 1992, p. 2). In order to invite deeper
thinking and make connections, teachers need to ask questions about interesting facts or details
about a text, feelings that were aroused, or any connections to other life experiences or other
stories. By sharing this in a class discussion, students can learn from the perspectives of others
and reflect on their own responses to the story (Schulz et al., 1992). The authors also suggest an
order to the meaningful reading of stories, where the first stage is reading, then interpretation and
then criticism (Schulz et al., 1992). Students can then demonstrate what they understand about a
story through the use of art, drama and poetry. Paley(2001) spent her career demonstrating the
power of story as a teaching tool. In her work she discussed how by acting and interacting with a
story, students showed engagement in the pedagogy of the classroom (Paley, 2001). Through
artistic expression, students can convey their meaning and feelings about a particular story
(Schulz et al., 1992). Teachers can also look for ways that a story is related to other parts of the
curriculum. Schulz et al. (1992) discusses an example of how a teacher does this for a story
about a girl suffering and dying from the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. The teacher brings
in connections to Science where students study the effects of radiation and about cancer.

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Students learn to make origami in art. They learn about sumo wrestling in PE. They learn about
mapping skills and the location of different cities in Japan in Socials. In Math students can learn
to graph the populations and living space in Japan to learn about the differences between Japan
and their own country. The interconnectedness of different subjects through the same story can
bring in a lot of interest and meaning for the students as they discover the interconnectedness of
life (Schulz et al., 1992).
Overall, we can see that teachers should use stories to invite a response and not just teach
stories for comprehension. Stories have meaning when we discuss their interpretation and also
open them up for criticism. The demonstration of what students understand in a story can find
meaningful expression in a variety of forms which might include art, poetry or drama. Finally,
teachers can bring in aspects of a story to many different subjects in the curriculum so that
students can see the interconnectedness of various subjects in the curriculum.
Engagement and student achievement
Reviewing the literature for this, a book by City(2009), which primarily talks about a
model for teacher collaboration and sharing, the authors shows how “student engagement is vital
to ensuring student learning and achievement” (City, 2009). During this collaboration and
sharing, they observe, discuss and analyze learning and teaching. One of the observations they
make is about how student engagement is vital to student achievement. Another more recent
study reviewed expresses the relationship between student engagement and achievement more
directly by expressing that student engagement is a strong predictor of academic achievement
(Mendoza, 2020). The authors of this study primarily discussed how student engagement is
contagious and if some students are engaged this could positively impact other students and
hence improve their achievement.

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Other Forms of Engagement
Besides stories, it is important to look at what the literature says are other forms of
engagement for students. The literature shows that inquiry based activities and hands on
activities, particularly that lead to mastery of a subject show greater levels of engagement,
particularly in Science classes (​Uçar​ & Sangar, 2017). Other studies concur with this and show
that active learning strategies lead to higher levels of engagement in students (​Jahnke et al.,
2020). In this case active learning strategies refer to activities where students are actively
involved in the learning as opposed to teacher centric activities.
Stories Develop Character
Another reason stories are a useful learning strategy, particularly in the elementary
classroom is because they help form and shape character. In this section, the literature for how
stories can be used to develop values will be reviewed. The literature will also be reviewed for
how stories help develop empathy. Finally, the literature will be reviewed for other strategies,
besides stories to help shape character.
Developing Values and Virtues
There are many values that could be developed through the use of stories. One particular
research study showed how teachers can provide opportunities for students to develop a set of
core values by using carefully selected books and providing a safe environment for value related
discussions (Mariano, 1996). In this particular study, students were exposed to stories that
showed what virtues looked like and how they are practiced. The results of this study showed
that students were able to assimilate virtues by reading moral literature (Mariano, 1996).
According to another study, students self-evaluated the power of short stories in improving their
cognitive and affective abilities. In the cognitive domain, the students' feedback on this study

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noted that they enjoyed a lesson more and were more attentive to a lesson after a short story was
read (​Kasapoglu, 2015). In the affective domain, the students felt that the short stories that they
read helped them mature more and contributed to their development, prepared them for life and
taught them about life (Kasapoglu, 2015). Shaw (1999) pointed out that stories can “touch,
challenge and change learners on cognitive, affective and behavioral levels” (p. x)
because they touch the human psyche. In a project called the MelArete project, the authors claim
that one of the methods to develop virtues among children is to use narratives. The authors claim
that “by reading and writing stories about virtues involving people in ethical dilemmas, learners
become more able to face them” (Mortari & Ubbiali, p. 274). Montari and Ubbiali (2017) claim
that from a preliminary analysis of running this project, the children were able to understand the
concepts of virtue, when they in most cases previously ignored it. The Wisconsin department of
instruction echoes the power of stories to help students learn about positive character traits by
saying that “since the first reading texts were introduced in schools, they have included fables,
myths and biographies that help students learn about positive character traits and the Golden
Rule” (Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, 2001).
Stories Help Develop Empathy
Empathy may be defined as “the ability to identify and understand other people’s
emotions” (Vaughan-Lee, 2019, p. 25). Vaughan-Lee (2019) speaks about the power of
documentary films to transport a person to another place and “create an awareness of global
cultures from the inside out through feeling and empathy” (Vaughan-Lee, 2019, p. 25).
Vaughan-Lee gives the example of the documentary film of an aboriginal woman who
painstakingly creates a dictionary from English to her own native language. She does this so that
her language cannot be lost and forgotten. The students that watched the documentary start

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asking questions to the author of the movie that show that they are filled with compassion and
genuine interest (Vaughan-Lee, 2019, p. 25). Greene (1995) discussed how “imagination makes
empathy possible” and that stories help us to “look in some manner through stranger’s eyes and
hear through their ears” (p.3). In a discussion about children's books that develop character and
empathy, the authors suggest that stories that help build empathy have characters in stories that
are well developed and conflicts that are relatable (Cain, 2015).
Learning Influences for Character Development
In this section, I will discuss some of the leading influences of character development
besides stories. One particular research article that I looked at showed the possibility of using
games and scenario based exercises to develop character. These games and exercises would
teach students the moral reasoning skills that they could apply to different circumstances in their
life (Shapiro, 1999). In another more recent case study, the authors looked at using different
strategies to promote respect in a school setting where students had difficulty co-existing because
students had a lack of respect with their peers (​Corzo & Castañeda, 2017).The study included
using guided social activities and games which included bingo, lotteries, word search, puzzles,
game, animal behavior and others that helped generate connection between meaningful learning,
good team work and human relations (Corzo & Castañeda, 2017). The findings showed an
improvement in language used between classmates (Corzo & Castañeda, 2017). The students
showed an attitude of respect and there was an atmosphere of cordiality and due treatment after
the guided social activities were conducted (Corzo & Castañeda, 2017).
Summary
In this literature review, I went through a lot of evidence for why stories help improve
student achievement and improve student character. Here is a recap of the reasons and related

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evidence. The first reason suggested is that stories help build positive relationships in the
classroom. In the evidence, we saw how we organize our life experiences through stories and
draw meaning from them (Rhodes, 2019). Relationships in the classroom are deepened since
stories provide a way for voices to be heard and experiences to be shared (Rhodes, 2019).
Evidence in the literature showed that positive affectivity and engagement improved student
learning (Uludag, 2016). Hence, some of the positive emotions that you would receive from
positive relationships would help improve student achievement. Besides stories, some of the
other strategies suggested to build relationships include art therapy due to its social and fun
nature (​McDonald & Holttum, 2020). The evidence also suggests involving students in
discussions, discovery approaches, individual assignments and group planning to build
relationships with students (Hedges et. al, 2000).
Next, we look at how stories help engage the imagination and emotions. Evidence
showed that stories are “forms of language that tell us how to feel about their content” (Egan &
Judson, 2016, p. 19). Schultz et. al(1992) discusses how it is important that teachers teach stories
to invite a reaction and response and not just for comprehension. Students should be invited to
share their connections and meaning from the story. The evidence shows that engagement is vital
to student achievement (City, 2009). However, other forms of engagement discussed include
inquiry learning (​Uçar​ & Sangar, 2017) and active learning strategies (​Jahnke et al., 2020).
In the next section, we looked at the evidence for stories to build character. Shaw (1999)
summarizes this and the other sections well by noting how stories touch the human psyche and
affect learners in the cognitive, affective and behavioral levels. Stories also help students develop
empathy. ​Greene (1995) summarizes this best by discussing how “imagination makes empathy

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possible” and that stories help us to “look in some manner through stranger’s eyes and hear
through their ears” (p.3).
Finally, evidence was discussed for other leading strategies of character development.
This included the use of games and guided social activities to teach different values, particularly
the value of respect. Overall, as the evidence as shown, stories can be a powerful tool to improve
student achievement and to improve student character.

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Chapter Three: Application to my Professional Life
Now that I have presented the main reasons and supporting evidence for why stories can
improve student achievement and student character, it will be clear how it has applied to my life
as a student and how it has and will apply to my life as a teacher. I will also include a plan for
how particular stories fit into all subjects in the Grade 5 curriculum.
Applications as a Student
As a student I struggled with understanding abstract concepts in courses such as
Philosophy. In classes where I would not understand the material, I would easily tune out and it
would feel meaningless to me. However, my Philosophy professor made things very interesting
when he would narrate personal stories to explain abstract concepts. Stories are “forms of
language that tell us how to feel about their content” (Egan & Judson, 2016, p. 19). The stories
that my Philosophy Professor would narrate would be packed with meaning, emotion and
feeling. He would narrate them very enthusiastically and with a lot of drama and energy. I often
felt intrigued and fascinated by his stories. It would not only help me understand the concept, but
the story would also convey how I would feel about the concept. His stories would spark my
imagination and help me make connections to experiences in my own life. My professor would
also narrate stories about the saints or from movies that would be interesting. The stories kept us
all engaged. It made me curious and excited about the subject. The stories made me ask
questions about philosophy and they helped me make connections to my own life.
Through my Philosophy professor’s stories, I was also a recipient of the power of oral
storytelling. Oral storytelling refers to the relation of a story using elements like pitch, inflection
and also non-verbal language like gesture, pause, physical expression. The storyteller is attuned
and responsive to the audience (Hibbin, 2016). My professor would vary his pitch, tone, and use
20

gestures to make the story very interesting. He would also pay attention to us in the class and
sometimes ask questions and put us into the story he was narrating to keep things more
interesting. I found the stories that he told us orally so much more interesting than the stories that
he would read from a book. He seemed more attuned to the audience and I was much more
focused, interested and engaged in his oral stories.
It has also been my experience, as a student that stories help deepen relationships.
Through the many stories that the teachers would narrate to me as a student, I felt more closely
connected to the teacher telling the story. It made it easier for me to approach them and ask them
questions. Rhodes (2019) discusses how stories provide a way for voices to be heard and
experiences to be shared. In classes where teachers would open up the floor to more personal
discussions, we would sit in a circle, share and listen to each other's stories, I felt more closely
connected to other students. We learned more about each other’s backgrounds, likes and dislikes.
I empathized more with those that were struggling and admired those that worked hard to
overcome their difficulties. I learned more about how to interact with people that are different
from me and I developed some solid and lasting friendships with some of my peers after we
shared personal stories.
Lastly, as a student I have learned how to improve in character and virtue by reading
many different stories. I learn from the characters that I read, morals of the stories, fables,
documentaries, movies, etc. Sometimes stories have characters whose positive character traits I
admire or they could have negative character traits that I want to avoid. Sometimes I learn from
the consequences of people's choices in stories. As mentioned in the literature review, short
stories can have an impact on both the cognitive and affective domain. In the affective domain,
the students that self-evaluated short stories said that it helped them mature more, contributed to

21

their development, prepared ​them for life and taught them about life (Kasapoglu, 2015). It has
certainly been my experience that some of the positive character traits I have adopted have come
from interesting stories that I have read in the past. These could be from characters in stories that
I have admired or morals of the stories that I have read. It could also be from negative character
traits of characters that I do not want to adopt. Learning about the problems that people face in a
story has prepared me for life, formed my character and shaped me to be a better person.
Applications as a Teacher
Through my seven years as a teacher I have had the opportunity to share various stories
and also conduct classes where I have facilitated student sharing. It has consistently been my
experience that when I have facilitated circles where students share personal stories, that my
classes developed a very positive atmosphere. Rhodes (2019) discusses how it is important for
teachers to share stories to improve the classroom atmosphere and create an environment that is
more receptive to learning. Students open up in classes where they share more about themselves.
They share and participate more, they are more respectful and they enjoy learning. When they
see that they have a teacher that genuinely cares about them and is interested in their story, they
become more receptive to learning in the classroom.
I try to ask students to share stories regularly about various topics. Some of the topics that
I have asked students to share stories about include Halloween, Christmas, Easter, holidays and
injuries. I have noticed how some students that are shy about sharing start to share more and
more about themselves once they see that others are there to respect them, care for them, like
them as they are, admire their differences and are genuinely interested and curious about them.
It is important that I as a teacher create this safe environment first. In the beginning it
takes some work, but with the creation of a safe space where students' voices can be heard,

22

classes can be so much more receptive to learning and growing. Sexton (2020) discusses how at
the Dr. Michael Conti School in Jersey City, New Jersey, the school put into practice a program
that gave students a voice, empowered them to make a difference through project based learning
and acknowledged that their input is worthwhile. Sexton (2020) noted how students felt more
confident once they realized that their opinions matter too.
In my teaching practice, it has also been my experience that stories can help spark the
imagination and engage students' emotions. I usually follow up stories with questions. Questions
about students' feelings about a story, what they found interesting or about connections they
could make from a story to their personal life, usually almost always generate very interesting
responses from students. Another approach I have tried with students is to ask students to draw
pictures related to a story, sketch a scene and then have a discussion about this. Schulz (1992)
discusses how drawing could be the basis for students to learn about different perspectives and
also reflect on their own initial responses to a story. Artistic expression could also be a way for
students to express their emotion and meaning from a story (Schulz, 1992). Paley (2001) concurs
with this by expressing how by acting and interacting with a story, students showed engagement
with the pedagogy of the classroom.
In Math class, students are able to absorb concepts when I weave a story problem around
computation and Math operations. In Science, when teaching about the human body and the
different systems, I asked students to write a fictional story about swallowing a little person and
their journey around the different systems of the body. The interest and excitement level in the
class grew significantly when students could use their imagination and emotions. They came up
with various different stories while also displaying their understanding of the human body. In
Religion class, students get very excited and creative when I ask them to perform skits or

23

complete comic strips around Bible stories. Finally, in English Language Arts, I encourage the
reading of a variety of different stories. I also teach students the skills in writing a good story.
Students' imagination and emotions are evident in any subject in the context of a story.
Finally, as an elementary school teacher I have used stories several times as a way to
form students' character. Kasapoglu (2015) makes this point clear that in the affective domain,
students felt that the short stories that they read helped them mature more and contributed to their
development, prepared them for life and taught them about life. In the school I currently work at,
we have a program called “Read and Feed”. The teacher reads stories to students as they eat their
lunch. The students eat in silence listening to the story. I often ask questions related to the moral
choices of different characters in the story. I also ask questions about the consequences of their
choices. Students can see how consequences are related to the choices people make in life. In the
literature review above I note how several authors discuss how stories make empathy possible,
particularly with the use of stories that spark the imagination, characters that are well developed
and conflicts that are relatable (Greene, 1995; Cain, 2015). As a teacher, I have utilized the
power of questions to direct the conversation about empathy. During the course of the story, I
ask questions about character traits, conflicts, experiences in the story. I ask these questions with
the goal of helping students build connections and grow in empathy. It has been my experience
that teachers have a lot of say through the use of questions in how they shape the character of
students.
Another program in my school is a buddy reading program. The primary grades have
bigger buddies in the intermediate grades. This is a reading and leadership program where the
bigger buddies read stories to their little buddies. I have seen how a deeper bond and connection
is established between buddies through story sharing and story reading. I have also seen the little

24

buddies be very engaged in the story reading especially if the bigger buddy is an excellent story
reader, is more dramatic about the story and asks questions about a story. I know that these
strong connections are developed because I can see more open sharing between the buddies. I
also notice them playing with each other and talking to each other during other times of the day
like recess and after school. The buddy reading program is a great application to the power of
stories to build strong relationships and character through the use of something that is engaging
and relatable.
Applications to Grade 5 Curriculum
In this section, I will describe how particular stories apply to topics in the Grade 5
curriculum. I will be applying this to the settings of teaching ELA, Socials, Science and Christian
Education in Grade 5. I will also describe how these stories could be used to deepen
relationships, keep students engaged and I will connect this application to the argument of this
paper which is that stories help improve student achievement and student character.
Stories have a lot of connections to the big ideas in English Language Arts 5 (ELA 5).
The big ideas in ELA 5 include language and text being a source of creativity and joy, making
connections to others and the world through exploring stories, understanding different
perspectives through texts, using language in creative and playful ways, questioning what we
hear, view and see, which helps us be educated and engaged citizens in the world. In summary
ELA 5 is about having fun with language and using it to dialogue effectively with others in the
world (British Columbia, 2020).
I can cover most of the ELA 5 big ideas through a novel study of the Breadwinner series
of novels. The series includes four novels. The first novel narrates the difficult circumstances
that an eleven-year-old girl, named Parvana, faces under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. She has to

25

make difficult choices as the breadwinner of the family after her father is taken away by the
Taliban. In the second book of the series, Parvana sets out on a difficult journey to be united to
the rest of her family. This is in the backdrop of Western forces that try to oust the Taliban. The
third book narrates the story of Parvana’s best friend Shauzia who escapes Afghanistan in the
hopes of going to France but is stuck in a refugee camp in Pakistan. She escapes the refugee
camp and lives a dangerous life on the streets of Pakistan. The final book in the series returns to
the story of Parvana, who is now fifteen years old. She faces the difficulties of the post Taliban
regime when her country is still in war. She has to show a lot of bravery and resilience in the
face of these difficult circumstances.
Part of my claim in this paper is that stories help build character. The Breadwinner book
series is great for character building in grade 5. Students empathize with the main character’s
difficult circumstances. It is a series that encourages students to be brave, loyal, hardworking,
family oriented, hopeful and determined. The friendship that Paravana and Shauzia share is
something special and grade 5 students can make lots of connections to the difficulties in
friendships, the little arguments, the hopes and dreams shared, promises and fears and the
devastating losses. The discussions around these topics is an opportunity to share personal and
meaningful stories. Students will get to hear each other's voices and stories. They will learn
about each other's dreams and fears. It will open up opportunities for deeper sharing and more
meaningful relationships.
Finally, the topic of war is something that matters to everyone. Not only was the war in
Afghanistan real, but so are many wars around the world today. Students will be engaged and
fascinated, but also disgusted and horrified as they learn about the devastations and restrictions
that war puts on others. They will learn about poverty, displacement, hunger and violence.

26

Students can express their emotions and imagination on these topics through various showcases
that might include dramatic presentations, art work, songs, poems and the re-creation of scenes
from the book.
There have been many positive responses that have come from reading the Breadwinner
series stories. There has been an increase in the participation in class discussions. Many student
groups have shown the desire to express their understanding of the story in more ways than was
required, like the creation of artifacts from the novel and coming up skits to represent different
events from the book, all of which were optional. There has been a positive spirit of
inclusiveness and acceptance in the classroom. Students have displayed in their writing an
empathy for the main character as they realize how similar they are to her in their desires and
needs yet how different their lifestyles are. Students have demonstrated in their actions towards
each other qualities that the main character in the book displays which include bravery,
selflessness, loyalty, determination and hopefulness.
Next, I will discuss how stories can also be applied to teach some of the big ideas in
Social Studies 5. One of the big ideas in Social Studies 5 is about the treatment of minority
peoples in Canada and how they have both positive and negative legacies (P, 2020). One of the
books that can be used in this context is a story called “Railroad of Courage”. The authors,
Daniel and Nancy, tell the story of slavery from a 12-year-old girls point of view. The story
narrates the girls’ difficulty as she journeys from the southern United States to live a free life in
Canada.
Through this story, students will not only get to learn about how some black people came
to Canada, but they will learn about the difficult circumstances that many immigrants had to
brave to come to this country. It is the hope that by looking at events through the eyes of a

27

12-year-old girl, that many students will be able to empathize with her situation. They will aspire
to be brave, determined, hopeful and fight for freedom. Through this story and other testimonies
of black people, students will learn about the difficulties and racism that existed towards many
minority people in Canada.
Another book that can be used for this big idea is the book “Children of the Kootenays''.
This book narrates the story of children as they moved through many mining towns in the
Kootenays. People who moved to these mining towns lived through harsh circumstances, but
also lived very joyful lives. Through the perspective of children, students will learn about some
of the positive legacies of Canada.
Through these stories, I hope to open up discussions about facing difficult circumstances.
Students in the class who are immigrants will be given an opportunity to voice their stories.
Rhodes (2019) notes that teachers who open up the floor in a classroom for stories to be shared
foster positive relationships between peers and between the teacher and the students. As an
immigrant myself to Canada, I will narrate my story of coming to Canada, some of the hardships
I faced, together with the opportunities of coming to a new land. Students will get to develop
deeper relationships with each other when they hear about each other's backgrounds and stories.
The topics of poverty, racism, inclusion are all topics that matter to students. The stories
from “Railroad of Courage” and “Children of the Kootneys” are both narrated by children so this
should be relatable and engaging to students. Paley (2001) discusses that by acting and
interacting with a story, students show engagement with the pedagogy of the classroom. As a
follow up to reading these stories, students can express their responses to the stories through
poster presentations, dramatization of scenes from the story and presentations on solutions to
topics like poverty and racism.

28

To support students in improving in Science and to foster character development, Science
fiction stories can be introduced. Some of the big ideas in Science 5 include systems in the
human body, solutions, forces and energy, natural resources (P, 2020). In application of Science
fiction stories, it is important to front load students with terms and concepts first before they
venture into a story. Good science fiction stories and even documentaries enable students to be
curious and to wonder. They will treat different topics in Science as mysteries that they would be
eager to investigate. Science fiction stories can be followed up with experiments and hands-on
activities to help students explore further. During the course of hands-on activities students are
interacting with each other, developing deeper relationships, engaging in material through
experiments. Working in teams and collaborating during an experiment also helps build
character where students learn skills in communication, cooperation and teamwork.
Since I teach in a Catholic school, I have to bring in the application of stories to Christian
Education. Christian Education lends itself very well to the use of stories since Jesus told stories.
Hultgren (2000) & Snodgrass (2008) note that striking features that make Jesus’ narrative
parables so captivating is its directness to the audience, everyday subject matter, simplicity and
symmetry, a focus on human characters and unexpected behavior or endings. Teachers can plan
activities like bible skits, artwork around parables that allow students to express their feelings
and meaning around a parable. Teachers can direct the discussions and reflections so that
students can pull out the lessons learned from a parable. Students can make everyday
connections and resolutions based on Bible stories. The implications of these applications are
that students are engaged. Bible stories, especially through the various responses help to foster
deeper relationships. Finally, there is no doubt that Bible stories help shape and form students'
character through the many lessons and morals students can draw from them.

29

Summary
As a student, I learned very early on about the power of stories in improving my
achievement and shaping my character. Stories helped me understand complex concepts, they
bonded me into a closer relationship with the storyteller and there were so many lessons I could
learn from hearing other people's stories. Hearing other people’s stories would illuminate my
own story and hence I would be so drawn to their story.
As a teacher, I had the opportunity to apply the power of stories to the students I taught. I
witnessed the power of personal story sharing in circles to create a more positive atmosphere in
the classroom. As a teacher, I have had the opportunity to engage students in a story by planning
how they will respond to a story. I have also had the opportunity to form students' characters
through the use of stories.
Next, I discussed the use of particular stories to the Grade 5 curriculum. I discussed the
use of the Breadwinner series as a novel study to engage students in the life of an
eleven-year-old girl in Afghanistan. In Social Studies, students can use stories like “Railroad of
Courage” and “Children of the Kootneys” to learn more about the treatment of minority people
in Canada. In Science, students will be exposed to many science fiction stories so that students
develop curiosity and wonder about science concepts. Finally, Christian education lends itself
nicely to the use of stories since students can respond to many different bible stories thus
developing deeper relationships and drawing many morals from each bible story.
The next section will summarize my thoughts from chapters one to three. I will
summarize how I have supported the claim that stories improve student achievement and student
character. I will also discuss the theoretical and practical implications of my paper.

30

Chapter Four: Conclusion
In this final chapter, I will restate my argument, summarize the introduction, literature
review and application chapters. Through this summarization, I will explain how the three
chapters are connected and my paper has been successful in demonstrating my argument. I will
explain the implications of my paper and ideas of my paper. Finally, I will note some of the
changes in the world I hope to see happen because of my paper.

Summary
Student achievement and student character can be improved through stories since stories
help deepen relationships, engage the imagination and emotions and have morals which help
shape our character. Stories are a powerful tool to create and deepen relationships (Rhodes,
2019). Stories have a way of connecting the imagination and emotions with the content (Egan &
Judson, 2016). Stories have a way of honing our character since we can learn from the characters
in the story, the choices they made and empathize with them. The outcome of stories could also
be teaching us lessons that we could learn.
In Chapter One of this paper, I describe my developing interest in stories together with
the significance of stories. My developing interest in stories began when I contrasted my
university experience to my elementary school experience. In university, I felt drawn to the
stories that my Philosophy Professor would narrate and it would help me understand abstract
concepts in Philosophy. During the M.Ed. program I was progressively looking for ways to
support and engage the students I teach. In courses such as Inquiry Education I got an
opportunity to explore many cognitive tools, and stories, were one of the cognitive tools. Getting

31

acquainted with stories again reignited my interest in stories that I developed earlier during my
Philosophy degree.
The significance of stories is that we are all impacted by them. We all organize the
experiences of our lives as stories. Hearing other people’s stories illuminates our own story.
Stories provide a way to engage with content with our minds and our hearts (Egan & Judson,
2016). Hence stories are a very significant learning strategy to be used by educational
stakeholders.
In Chapter Two, I go into more detail about the reasons and evidence for why stories
improve student achievement and student character. First, stories help create and deepen
relationships. As mentioned before, we naturally organize our life experiences as stories and we
draw meaning from them (Rhodes, 2019). Teachers who listen to student stories and provide a
safe space for student stories to be shared create an environment that is more receptive to
learning (Rhodes, 2019). There are studies that show that the positive affectivity that would arise
from positive relationships has contributed to improved student achievement (Uludag, 2016).
Other strategies that contribute to building relationships include art therapy and strategies where
students are included in the lesson like discussions, discovery approaches and group planning.
By shaping a story around some content, the story tells us how to feel about that content
(Egan & Judson, 2016). Stories bring extra energy and interest into teaching and learning (Egan
& Judson, 2016). Stories also invite a response from the reader. Teachers can use this
opportunity to learn about students' feelings about a story, any connections they made and what
they found interesting in the story. Teachers that have collaborated and shared the results of
student engagement note how engagement is vital to ensure student learning and achievement
(City, 2009). Besides stories, studies show that other learning strategies like inquiry based

32

activities ​(​Uçar​ & Sangar, 2017)​ and active learning ​(​Jahnke et. al, 2020)​ are engaging for
students, but this could be used together with stories.
Not only are stories an excellent learning strategy to improve student achievement, but
they also help with developing student character. The use of carefully selected books and a safe
environment for value related discussions contributed to students developing a set of core values
(Mariano, 1996). Other studies showed that short stories affected students positively in that they
helped them mature, contributed to their development, prepared and taught them about life
(Kasapoglu, 2015). Stories, particularly that have characters that are well developed and conflicts
that are relatable, help build empathy (Cain, 2015).
To further strengthen my argument, I discussed how stories impacted me as a student,
and as a teacher. I gave specific examples of stories that could apply to the Grade 5 curriculum.
As a student, I was drawn to the dramatic storytelling that my Philosophy Professor would
narrate as it would help me understand very abstract philosophical concepts. As a teacher, I
started to facilitate students' circles where students would share their personal stories. I also
would open up the floor to the sharing of stories around various occasions so that students were
given a voice and this made learning more receptive and created a positive atmosphere in the
class.
In ELA 5, I have introduced the Breadwinner series of novels. I have encouraged many
responses to these stories which include projects like book jackets, recreation of scenes in the
novel through the use of drama and art. Students have expressed their feelings about the novel in
a variety of ways and they have drawn a lot of meaning from the books. It has certainly been a
stage to forge and enhance relationships in the classroom.

33

In Socials 5 I hope to use the stories “Railroad to Courage” and “Children of the
Kootneys” to help build empathy and help students learn from the positive character traits in
these novels. In Science 5 I hope to introduce some science fiction novels to help build interest in
Science and spark their imagination and emotions. Finally, for Religion class, I hope to use Bible
stories as a way to nourish relationships and build character as Bible stories contain many moral
lessons that students can draw from.

Implications
The bigger conversation to which my paper contributes is about successful learning
strategies. A question that the reader of this paper might be wondering is about learning
strategies that will help cultivate deeper relationships and engage students' hearts and minds.
This paper could also shed light on the purpose of learning strategies. There are many different
opinions on the goals of learning and learning strategies will accordingly differ based on the
goals of learning. My paper contributes to this topic by suggesting that stories is a learning
strategy that will cultivate people that care about relationships. Students that both read and write
stories will be able to communicate with others in a manner that is intriguing, engaging and
relatable.
The other topic that is raised by this paper is about character building strategies. The
character of a person is made up of values that are important for them to develop. The
development of values like honesty, patience, kindness and tolerance are important in many
schools. The use of values is common in the mission statement of almost every school. The
search for learning strategies that can help form character according to values will no doubt be an
important conversation that many people in education will be concerned about. This paper
contributes to this conversation by suggesting that stories help with the building of character
34

according to various values. Stories have many morals to draw from and they can be used to
shape students' character and thus help students develop many notable values.
I want to explain the implications of my paper in practical settings. I hope to see
curriculum committees consider the importance of stories when designing curriculum and
suggesting curriculum resources. I hope this paper shifts perspectives of curriculum designers to
bring in a rationale for the introduction of stories in curriculum. I hope that curriculum designers
can suggest different stories at all grade levels from K-12 and with all subjects.
Beyond this, I hope this paper assists others in thinking about learning strategies that will
help deepen relationships and help students engage with content with their hearts and minds. I
hope this paper will shed light on the importance of having deep relationships. Teaching and
learning is so much about having quality relationships. We help students to have quality and
deep relationships with others when we take the trouble to have deep relationships with them. I
also hope that readers can see the importance of engaging students with their hearts and minds.
Both students and teachers gain so much when students are engaged in a lesson and I hope this
paper provokes others to explore more learning strategies to engage students with their hearts
and minds.
I also hope that this paper shifts the perspective that character development is important
as students can then grow to be the best version of themselves. I hope that readers will be curious
to explore other learning strategies that will help students develop their character. After all is said
and done, if I can help one student discover their story, then my entire teaching career would
have been worth the effort and I would have helped this world to be a better place.

35

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