Storytelling Strategies Used by Grade 2 Teachers Support Reading Comprehension

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FORMOSA NEWS

Santiago City, Philippines — The way teachers tell stories in the classroom can play an important role in helping young learners understand what they read. A study by Jobelle Martos Santiago and Celso C. Dumalig of Northeastern College, Inc. Graduate School, Santiago City, Philippines, documented storytelling strategies used by Grade 2 teachers to support pupils’ reading comprehension. Published in 2026, the study found that teachers consistently relied on expressive storytelling, interactive questioning, visual materials, vocabulary explanations, and comprehension questions during storytelling activities.

Reading comprehension is a fundamental skill in elementary education. In Grade 2, children begin moving from learning to read toward reading to learn. At this stage, learners increasingly need to identify main ideas, understand sequences of events, predict what may happen next, and make inferences. However, being able to decode written words does not necessarily mean that children fully understand a text. Oral language, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and narrative understanding also contribute to successful reading comprehension.

Santiago and Dumalig examined storytelling as an approach that can connect oral language development with reading comprehension. Oral narratives allow teachers to make lessons more engaging while providing children with meaningful language experiences. Instead of simply reading a text aloud, teachers can use voice modulation, facial expressions, gestures, pictures, questions, and classroom interaction to help learners follow and understand a story.

The study involved 36 Grade 2 teachers from a selected elementary school. Data were collected through a modified questionnaire that underwent pilot testing before being administered. The researchers used frequency counts, percentages, and weighted means to describe the storytelling practices used by teachers and their role in supporting reading comprehension.

The respondent profile showed that 30 of the 36 teachers, or 83.33 percent, were female, while six teachers, or 16.67 percent, were male. The largest age group was 31–35 years old, with nine respondents. Most participants also had between one and ten years of teaching experience. Their educational backgrounds showed substantial participation in postgraduate education, including teachers with master's units, master's degrees, doctoral units, and doctorate degrees.

One of the strongest findings involved expressive storytelling. This category received an average weighted mean of 3.63 and was classified as “Always Used.” Maintaining eye contact with learners was the most frequently practiced strategy, with a score of 3.81, followed by the use of facial expressions at 3.72. Teachers also regularly used voice modulation and body movements to make stories more engaging. Changing vocal tones to represent different characters received the lowest score in this category, at 3.39.

Interactive storytelling was another commonly used approach. Asking learners questions during storytelling received the highest score at 3.78. Encouraging pupils to predict what would happen next scored 3.61, while connecting stories with learners’ personal experiences scored 3.53. However, activities requiring pupils to generate their own narrative responses were used less frequently. Retelling parts of a story received a score of 3.19 and was classified as “Often Used.”

Visual materials also played an important role. Teachers most frequently showed storybooks or illustrations while narrating, with a weighted mean of 3.89. The use of pictures scored 3.83, while other visual aids received a score of 3.75. In comparison, puppets, flashcards, physical props, videos, and presentation slides were used less frequently. The findings suggest that readily available books and illustrations remain practical tools for supporting storytelling in Grade 2 classrooms.

The study also examined strategies directly connected to reading comprehension. Explaining unfamiliar words was the most frequently used strategy, with a weighted mean of 3.86. Comprehension questions after storytelling scored 3.81, while helping pupils identify characters, settings, and events scored 3.78. Activities that required pupils to summarize or retell stories in their own words were less frequently used, receiving scores of 3.31 and 3.17 respectively.

These findings indicate that Grade 2 storytelling sessions remain largely teacher-guided. Teachers regularly check understanding through questions, explain unfamiliar vocabulary, use visual materials, and help pupils identify important story elements. The main challenge is providing more opportunities for learners to produce their own responses through retelling and summarizing activities. Santiago and Dumalig therefore emphasize the need to strengthen learner-centered storytelling activities to support higher-order comprehension skills.

The findings have practical implications for early literacy instruction. Teachers can continue using expressive delivery, illustrations, and questioning while gradually giving pupils greater responsibility for reconstructing and explaining stories themselves. The researchers also recommend visual tools such as story maps and sequencing activities to help young learners organize information and move from basic understanding toward more expressive comprehension.

Jobelle Martos Santiago and Celso C. Dumalig are affiliated with Northeastern College, Inc. Graduate School, Santiago City, Philippines. Their work focuses on pedagogical approaches in oral narratives and storytelling strategies that support Grade 2 reading comprehension.

Research source: “Pedagogical Approaches in Oral Narratives: A Descriptive Study of Storytelling Strategies Used To Support Grade 2 Reading Comprehension,” International Journal of Scientific Multidisciplinary Research, Volume 4, Number 8, 2026, pages 2023–2038.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijsmr.v4i8.118

Journal: International Journal of Scientific Multidisciplinary Research