Laura Strong, Michelle Amodei

The Impact of Story: One Preschool Program’s Experiences Using Story Cubes as a Culturally Relevant Oral Language Strategy.

Introduction

The impact of story: one preschool program’s experiences using story cubes as a culturally relevant oral language strategy. . Discover how story cubes boost oral language development in preschool children, particularly Dual Language Learners. This study highlights a culturally relevant strategy's impact in a trilingual setting.

Abstract

Storytelling is a universal practice prevalent in many cultures. Research on language development indicates that storytelling strategies can be beneficial for supporting oral language development in young children (Kennedy, 2016). Story cubes, used as reflective, culturally relevant instructional strategies, can be highly motivating because they encourage children’s personal, relevant contributions while addressing the language needs of Dual Language Learners. When acquiring a second language, these students face unique challenges in overall acquisition of literacy skills (Amodei & Strong, 2019). This article describes a study conducted at a trilingual preschool. Four preschool teachers and 60 PreK students ages 3-5 years participated in the study designed to explore the use of story cubes in their classrooms as a culturally responsive and reflective strategy. Accomplished through small and large group engagement with story cubes, researchers collected qualitative and quantitative data using observational field notes, Likert scale questionnaire responses and narrative interview transcript responses.  

Review

This article, "The Impact of Story: One Preschool Program’s Experiences Using Story Cubes as a Culturally Relevant Oral Language Strategy," addresses a timely and significant topic in early childhood education. The emphasis on fostering oral language development, particularly for Dual Language Learners (DLLs) through culturally responsive practices, is highly commendable. Storytelling is a universally valued practice, and the innovative application of "story cubes" as a strategy to engage young children in meaningful communication holds great promise. The study's focus on a trilingual preschool setting further enhances its potential to offer valuable, practical insights for educators working with diverse student populations. The abstract outlines a robust methodological approach for exploring the impact of story cubes. The inclusion of four preschool teachers and 60 PreK students (ages 3-5 years) provides a substantial sample size for a qualitative and mixed-methods study of this nature. The decision to employ a combination of observational field notes, Likert scale questionnaire responses, and narrative interview transcripts indicates a commitment to gathering comprehensive data. This triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data sources is a strength, promising a nuanced understanding of how story cubes can serve as a reflective and culturally responsive tool, particularly in addressing the unique linguistic and literacy acquisition challenges faced by DLLs. This study has the potential to offer significant contributions to both research and practice in early childhood language development. While the abstract clearly sets the stage, the full paper would benefit from a detailed articulation of how "culturally relevant" was defined and operationalized within the context of the story cube activities in the trilingual setting. Further elaborating on the specific design of the story cubes, the nature of the small and large group engagements, and the specific findings derived from the collected data will be crucial for practitioners to understand and potentially replicate the intervention. Ultimately, this research could provide valuable evidence for the effective implementation of engaging, culturally sensitive strategies for oral language development in preschools.

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