The diploma thesis, "Preschool Teachers' Attitudes Toward Story-telling in Kindergarten," covers theoretical perspectives from various domestic and foreign authors, professional articles, and other sources related to storytelling as one of the most complex forms of verbal expression, as well as the speech and language development of preschool children and their storytelling abilities. Storytelling is a key strategy for promoting early literacy, imagination, and understanding of literature. In the theoretical section, I present the main perspectives on the significance of storytelling, the role of the preschool teacher, the most common forms of storytelling, and the factors influencing educators' choices of storytelling methods.
The empirical part is based on a quantitative study conducted among preschool teachers in Gorenjska. I collected data using an online questionnaire and analysed the results using descriptive statistics. The aim of the empirical work is to determine how often professional workers tell stories to children, what obstacles they perceive, and which strategies they most often use to promote the development of storytelling competencies in preschool children. Based on the results obtained, it was possible to analyse the role of storytelling in practice and how preschool teachers experience it. The results showed that most preschool teachers have a positive attitude towards storytelling. Preschool teachers are also well aware of its importance for speech and language development, socialisation, and for promoting the development of storytelling skills in children. Most respondents read or tell stories to children every day or several times a week. According to their responses, the most frequently used forms of storytelling are a combination of reading and storytelling, and reading from a picture book. As a didactic aid, preschool teachers most often choose a picture book, followed by a book, and quite often kamishibai. However, preschool teachers cited lack of time for individual work, language barriers, and emotional and behavioural disorders in children as the most common obstacles to promoting storytelling.
Based on the entire research, I conclude that storytelling plays a significant role in the kindergarten environment and that preschool teachers’ attitudes strongly influence the frequency and quality of language activities. Through this research, I also aimed to highlight the need for additional professional support for preschool teachers in developing storytelling competencies and creating a stimulating language environment for children.
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