Qualitative Research in Curriculum

Understanding Teachers’ Experiences with Storytelling as a Teaching Method in Primary Education

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Davoud Tahmasebzadeh Sheikhlar
Rogayeh Alizadeh
Hannaneh Beheshti

Tabriz University

10.22054/qric.2026.93406.483
Abstract
This study explored the experiences of elementary school teachers in Ardabil regarding the use of storytelling as a teaching method during the 2021–2022 academic year. The research employed a qualitative approach using Van Manen’s four‑stage phenomenological method. The study population consisted of elementary school teachers in Ardabil, and participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with selected teachers until saturation was reached and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that teachers’ experiences with teaching through storytelling were organized into 17 subthemes and 7 main themes. The main themes included challenges, benefits, standard storytelling patterns, experiential storytelling patterns, storytelling instruction, diversification and enhancement of storytelling, purposeful and standardized stories, and student-centered instruction. Trustworthiness was ensured using Guba and Lincoln’s criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The findings indicate that storytelling is an effective method that fosters creative learning, deeper understanding, and active student participation.

Keywords

Learning
Phenomenology
Primary Education
Storytelling
Teaching

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