Storytelling as a tool in science education

Abstract

Science education is unpopular. Nothing justifies this more than the fact that few students choose this career as a profession, the teaching society is aging (Radnóti, 2009) and there are not enough science teachers. This is sad because while among primary school students the subject of natural sciences leads high in the popularity list of cognitive-focused general knowledge subjects (Chrappán, 2017), this attitude deteriorates with the separation of science subjects, the increase in time spent on learning and the advanced age of students. (Chrappán, 2017, Csapó, 2000). Therefore, attitude change and modernization of pedagogical methods in science education is needed. In the last decade or two, storytelling has begun to be used worldwide in science promotion projects, and at the same time in education. Targeted storytelling does not have much practice in Hungary yet, thus the aim of this study is to present the method of storytelling as a possible way of renewing science teaching. The positive effects of storytelling have also been supported by some neurobiological research, these results are briefly described in this study. From a pedagogical point of view, the effectiveness of storytelling lies in the fact that it makes information more memorable, puts it in a broader context, and also helps to create appro-priate schemas. In this work, an overview of characteristics of different categories in scientific storytelling are presented, and other types which ensure better understanding are distinguished. This research focuses on the application of storytelling in science lessons, for this reason each type and subtype will be shown by a number of examples. In the final chapter, I focus on the dilemmas and difficulties which educators may face during the application of storytelling, and outline various solutions to these.