Abstract
This research sets out to study and compare the effects of story watching on television and story listening by an elder on children’s cognitive skills, specifically in building up their vocabulary and comprehension. A total of two hundred children aged between 7 to 12 years from low socio-economic background were selected through matching. They were divided into two different groups based on the medium they were exposed to, either oral or visual. The study took place in laboratories set at four different schools in Karachi, Pakistan. Ten stories were told to the half children, while the other group watched 10 animated episodes having same content for 10 consecutive weeks. Children’s perception and vocabulary skills were evaluated through questionnaires, which were filled out after each story. Results affirmed the hypothesis that story listening is more effective than cartoon watching in terms of cognitive learning. The study is beneficial for various disciplines of social sciences including psychology, sociology, education and mass communication.
Highlights
Children and stories are considered to be closely associated
The results showed that medium of message of the stories in our study has significantly differ from the hypothesized value
Listening the stories significantly increases the vocabulary score of the children as compare to viewing the stories in the form of animated cartoons
Summary
Children and stories are considered to be closely associated. Many researchers support the idea to read from books and suggest that this activity ripens emotional bonding between parents and children and enhances communication skills.[1] Storytelling started not days or years but centuries back. From Lascaux Caves of around 15,000 BC to the epic of Gilgamesh in 700 BC, the series of telling fables has remained alive throughout history. With the passage of time, oral storytelling got transformed into printed form, and printed sources extended to digitized modes. John Locke poised the idea of tabula rasa or “blank slate” in 1700s. He argued that the mind of a new-born child is like “a blank slate upon which experience writes”.
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