The Effectiveness of Storytelling on the Improvement of Self-Esteem of Students of the Second Grade Elementary Schools

The language of story results from human nature, and the origin of loving and hearing stories can be found in human temperament. Since children are closer to human nature, they love story and storytelling and are affected by it. Thus, storytelling can be used as an educational and remedial art and can increase children’s self- esteem. Self-esteem has an important aspect in the individual’s total function and inducement and is the most important component in human’s psychological health, influencing different personality variables and individual’s activities and is related to other fields like psychological-social health and occupational and educational function. The aim of this research is to assess the effect of using storytelling method in group form (as an education-remedial art) on increasing children’s self-esteem. The methodology used is quasi-experimental and statistical society of this research includes all female students of Mashhad elementary schools, out of which 30 students are selected by cluster random sampling. Then, they are placed in two groups of test and control. The present research tests the hypothesis based on which storytelling in group sessions increases children’s self-esteem. To carry out this research, once primary investigation is done and the research tool, i.e. Cooper Smith Questionnaire is studied, the test group participates in ten 45-minute sessions of storytelling (the program and stories are selected considering self-esteem components).Both groups are assessed in post-test after two months. There is a significant difference between the variation average of scores of Cooper Smith pre-test and post-test in the test and control group. It can be said with 99% confidence that group storytelling increases the children’s self-esteem.