THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS AND CHALLENGES OF STORYTELLING IN LANGUAGE TEACHING: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Abstract
Storytelling has long been recognized as a powerful pedagogical tool in language teaching, fostering engagement, comprehension, and retention. Rooted in cognitive, socio-cultural, and communicative theories, storytelling aligns with key language acquisition principles such as Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. However, despite its pedagogical benefits, the implementation of storytelling in language classrooms presents various challenges, including learner proficiency differences, cultural sensitivity, and the need for effective teacher training. This paper explores the theoretical foundations that support storytelling as a language teaching method while critically analyzing the challenges and considerations that educators must address. By examining both traditional and digital storytelling approaches, this study highlights strategies to optimize storytelling for diverse language learners. The findings suggest that while storytelling remains an effective instructional strategy, overcoming its challenges requires structured scaffolding, multimodal adaptations, and teacher preparedness.
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