









































Abstract
Storytelling is a universal practice which can be traced back to the beginning 

of human existence. Research on language development indicates that 
storytelling strategies are beneficial for supporting oral language development 
in young students (Kennedy, 2016). Story cubes, used as a reflective, culturally 
relevant instructional strategy, is highly motivating because they encourage 
students’ personal, relevant contributions while addressing the language needs 
of Dual Language Learners. When acquiring a second language, these students 
face unique challenges in overall acquisition of literacy skills (Amodei & Strong, 
2019). This article describes a study conducted at a trilingual preschool. 
Four preschool teachers and 60 PreK students ages 3-5 years participated in 
the study designed to explore the use of story cubes in their classrooms as a 
culturally responsive and reflective strategy. Accomplished through small and 
large group engagement with story cubes, researchers collected qualitative and 
quantitative data using observational field notes, Likert scale questionnaire 
responses and narrative interview transcript responses. 

 

Keywords: Storytelling, Early childhood, Oral language, Culturally relevant strategies, ELL/DLL,  Story cubes

Strong, L. & Amodei, M. Global Journal of  
Transformative Education (2024) Vol 4   
pp 56-63  DOI  10.14434/gjte.v4i1.36882

Open Access

Published by the Global Insitutute of Transformative Education (http://www.gite.education)
© Strong & Amodei. 2024. Open Access This journal is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 
NonCommercial NonDerivative 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which 
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction without revision in any non-commercial medium, provided you 
give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,

The Impact of Story: One Preschool’s Experience using Story 
Cubes as a Culturally Relevant Oral Language Strategy

Laura Strong1 and Michelle Amodei2

Full listing of authors and contacts can be 
found at the end of this article.

Miss Ana takes a colorful object out of the basket and 
rolls it on the carpet in front of the thirteen preschoolers 
in her trilingual classroom. They lean forward expectant-
ly, waiting for the cube to stop tumbling so they can see 
which side faces upward. “Love”, Miss Ana whispers softly, 
crossing her hands over her heart. The children wiggle 
around and scoot closer to inspect the brightly colored 
hearts on the top of the cube. 

“How can you show someone you love them?” Miss 
Ana asks, observing the thoughtful gazes and raised 
hands. 

“Give them a million presents!” Emilio shouts. 
“Tell them ‘I love you,’” Nedra adds. 
After a few more children volunteer to share their 

experiences, Miss Ana rolls the cube again. This time, the 
upward facing facet depicts a different emotion: “scared”.

“What is another word for scared? Was there a time 
when you felt scared? Can you tell us a story about that?” 
Miss Ana prompts.

Amir states anxiously, “When I thinked there was a 
monster in my closet, I said to my dad to come and get it 
out...”.

One by one, students share stories describing their 
emotions, including “excitement” and “happiness”. The 
teacher ends their sharing time by promising to use the 
cubes again later, after snack time.  

Oral stories, like the ones in the vignette above, 
have been shared universally across cultures for cen-
turies, regardless of social class, languages spoken, or 
knowledge and skills of the people. Sharing stories has 
been essential to the development of humankind as far 
back as can be traced by historians (Del Negro & Kim-
ball, 2021; Zipes, 2012). Storytelling encourages both 
receptive language learning (listening and understand-
ing) and expressive language learning (gesture and 
talk). It provides an opportunity for language learners 
to develop listening skills prior to production of expres-
sive language, and then offers a low-stress environment 
in which to practice oral language (Bateman, et al,

56



Strong & Amodei, The Impact of Story 57

2017). It is well-established that oral language skills in 
a person’s first language (L1) are a significant contribu-
tor to the development of second language (L2) knowl-
edge and skills (Tabors, 2009).  Young Dual Language 
Learners (DLL), therefore, face specific challenges 
when learning a second language because their home 
language is not yet fully developed. Teachers of young 
DLL students must possess and implement a variety 
of instructional tools that are meaningful, engaging, 
culturally responsive, tactile, and have the capacity to 
allow students to make personal connections. 

Theoretical Framework
Two Theories

The theoretical lenses through which this study 
is framed include culturally responsive pedagogy 
(Ladson-Billings, 1994) and transformative learning 
theory (Mezirow, 2003). According to the literature 
(Lynch, 2016), culturally responsive pedagogy is a 
student-centered approach to teaching and learning. 
This theory aligns with pedagogical approaches 
which seek to empower students through strategies 
which include “concepts that are related to the 
personal interests and experiences of students” 
(Howard, 2010, p.4). As outlined in the culturally 
responsive elements of teaching (Howard, 2010), 
the first principle states that “students are affirmed 
in their cultural connections” (p. 4). Teachers serve 
as the “cultural liaison” between students’ cultures 
and the school’s culture. Teachers are tasked with 
building a “communication bridge” by which equitable 
opportunities are made available to students and 
fosters development of bicultural citizenship (Howard, 
2010). Fusing both the elements and strategies 
described as culturally responsive pedagogy, the 
participants (teachers) in this study were able to use 
storytelling and story cubing strategies to support 
building that communication and cultural bridge for 
dual language learners. Teachers and students mutually 
benefitted from the implementation of these student-
centered strategies.

The second theoretical framework’s central 
construct includes reflection, a critical component 
of transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1990). 
Though his original work focuses more on adult 
learning, Mezirow (1990) posits “the most significant 
learning experiences…involve critical [reflection]—
reassessing our own orientation to perceiving, 
knowing, believing, feeling, and acting” (p. 13, as cited 
in Taylor, 2017, p. 77). In this study, teachers imple-

mented storytelling and story cubing strategies which 
targeted these specific opportunities for students. The 
practical activity of reflecting on their own individual 
orientations to their cultures, their worlds, their be-
liefs, and feelings provided outlets of expression, oral 
communication practice, and connections to their peers 
and the classroom community. Young dual language 
learners who faced challenges due to language barriers 
improved oral language skills embedded in the reflec-
tive storytelling and story cubing approaches.

Oral Traditions 
Oral traditions exist in every culture around the 

globe. In many African countries, elders pass along 
the stories of their ancestors through weekly tribal 
meetings. Youngsters eagerly anticipate their role in 
the stories they have become familiar with hearing 
and look forward to the chance to be included in the 
performances (Tuwe, 2016). In several Latino commu-
nities, students are taught very early the importance 
of remembering and maintaining the heritage of their 
people. Through storytelling, families share the rich 
culture and traditions of historically significant events 
and triumphs they have faced. These stories are wo-
ven into the fabric of their lives (McCabe, 1997). These 
cultural practices are significant components to the 
modern, developmentally appropriate, early childhood 
classroom because they are a natural motivator, and 
complement a culturally responsive pedagogy. McAd-
ams (1996), explains that “stories create a shared his-
tory, linking people in time and event as actors, tellers, 
and audience” (p. 28). Young DLL students benefit from 
opportunities to practice oral language, and engaging in 
storytelling activities is one meaningful way to provide 
this practice. 

Second Language Learning 
Young students who are learning a language in ad-

dition to their native one will develop needed language 
and literacy skills differently from their peers who 
are not learning an additional language. Most often, 
students who are three years of age and older learn a 
second or additional language through the process of 
sequential acquisition (Tabors, 2009). Sequential acqui-
sition of a language occurs when a person already has a 
dominant home language. The process of learning that 
new language will be different than exposure to a na-
tive language from a young age, particularly in the area 
of vocabulary skills and interpersonal communication 
(Hammer et al., 2014). The use of storytelling strategies

Global Journal of Transformative Education (2024) Vol 4



58

Global Journal of Transformative Education (2024) Vol 4

can be highly effective for learning new vocabulary, un-
derstanding new contexts, and according to Isik (2016), 
help students to feel connected to their social environ-
ment. The ability to create stories or narratives plays a 
significant role in a DLL’s language acquisition because 
they enable those social connections students need in 
classroom settings (Demir & Goldin Meadow, 2015). 

Sorting through the complexity of second language 
acquisition in the early childhood classroom can be 
made easier when there is an intentional focus on en-
couraging young students to practice speaking and lis-
tening in both L1 and L2 (Limlingan et al., 2020). When 
students have opportunities to practice oral language 
in both their home and emerging languages, they are at 
a distinct advantage as they progress into elementary 
school where the cognitive demand is higher as they 
are expected to read and write with fluency in their 
acquired language (Tabors, 2009). Research indicates 
that when young students can create and articulate 
narratives competently, they are more likely to experi-
ence future academic success (Kennedy, 2016). To this 
end, teachers of young students need strategies that are 
engaging, meaningful, and flexible to support students 
in creating and sharing their narratives about a variety 
of topics and themes. 

Story Cubes as an Instructional Strategy 
Story cubes offer teachers and students multiple 

ways to engage in language development that is inter-
active and meaningful. Storytelling using cubes is highly 
motivating because the student’s contributions are 
personal and relevant. In the seminal educational work 
by Montessori with young learners at the turn of the 
twentieth century (as cited in Stapleton, 2014), the use 
of hand-held objects allowed them to excel and learn 
language. Educators who provide their students with 
such manipulatives and hands-on learning experiences 
are really helping to reinforce concepts and instruction 
that is delivered visually and auditorily (Copple & Bre-
dekamp, 2009). 

The benefits of story cubes as a storytelling tool 
are wide-ranging. They are an effective, creative tool 
used by educators to serve a variety of students and 
purposes, especially by educators who subscribe to 
Constructivist learning approaches in early childhood 
classrooms. From all linguistic and cultural back-
grounds, students benefit from the broad possibilities 
story cubes offer. Al-Hazza and Bucher (2008) believe 
that story cubes, which are based upon Arab students’ 
literature, can help bridge the gap between cultures.

According to Golsteijn and den Hoven (2013), commu-
nication can be strengthened by photo cubes, which is 
a variation of story cubes. Townsend (2011) wrote that 
Rory’s Story Cubes has become one of the most popular 
games purchased on Amazon. Other products, such as: 
roll-a-story, foam story starter cubes, wooden blocks, 
and wipe-off marker/foam blocks are available from 
multiple sources. Simply searching a few key words 
online will yield several sources where these items can 
be accessed or purchased. 

Research Questions
Two questions guided the research study: 
1. In what ways can story cubes enrich the oral 

language development of Dual Language Learn-
ers (DLLs), ages 3-5 years? 

2. How can teachers implement story cube strate-
gies to mediate the relationship between DLLs’ 
social engagement and experiential story telling 
practice to increase oral language production?

Methodology
Participants 

Because the study required a linguistically diverse 
population, demographic location was a primary con-
sideration for choosing this population to sample. Lo-
cated in a diverse, urban area, each of the 4 classrooms 
consisted of approximately 85% Dual Language Learn-
ers. Four female teachers, one of whom was bilingual in 
Spanish and English were the respondents to the study. 
Four Pre-K classrooms in a trilingual urban preschool 
were the sites of the study, within which 42 students, 
ages 3-5 years, engaged with story cubes. 

Research Design 
This triangulated mixed-methods study was de-

signed by equally weighting both quantitative and qual-
itative data concurrently (Gay et al., 2006) to determine 
how preschool teachers at a trilingual early childhood 
program use story cubes as a language development 
tool with their DLL students, and to assess the effective-
ness of these practices. The quantitative tool used was a 
five-question survey using a 5-point Likert scale (ap-
pendix A). Additionally, qualitative data were collected 
using three open-ended questions (appendix B), and 
a template for observational field notes (appendix C) 
collected by two principal investigators. 

Teachers received resources on strategies for using 
story cubes with their students, and the researchers 
spent time in their classrooms observing activities that 

Strong & Amodei, The Impact of Story



59

included using them. Teachers were supplied with 
materials including cube templates on card stock and 
booklets with suggested activities and instructions for 
use of the cubes. 

Procedures 
Co-investigators conducted a preliminary overview 

and training with a group of six preschool teachers 
and the director of the school, four weeks prior to data 
collection. The training booklet consisted of eight sug-
gested strategies designed by the co-investigators and 
grounded in research for developmentally appropriate 
practice with young language learners. Teachers were 
encouraged to choose a few strategies or feel free to im-
plement their own creative ideas using the story cubes. 
Site approval for collecting data was obtained prior to 
visiting and observing the four preschool classrooms. 
Of the six, four preschool teachers agreed to include the 
use of story cubes as part of their small and large group 
activities. Permission was granted in writing by the 
participating program for the principal investigators to 
observe and collect photographs and field notes while 
students engaged in the activities. 

On two separate occasions occurring four weeks 
apart, co-investigators visited the classrooms to ob-
serve teachers implementing strategies and preschool-
ers engaging with the story cubes. Co-investigators 
collected observational data through field notes as 
preschool teachers and students interacted with the 
story cubes and engaged in various storytelling activ-
ities. Teachers were given a list of suggested activities 
for engaging with students in story cubes; however, 
teachers were also encouraged to be creative and im-
plement original uses. A standardized template served 
as an observational protocol tool; this was used by each 
investigator to increase inter-rater reliability. 

Following each field observation of data collection, 
principal investigators conducted in person interviews 
with preschool teachers. The interviews consisted of 
5 Likert scale questions which measured the degree 
of satisfaction for increasing oral language production 
using the story cubes. Additionally, three open-ended 
questions were asked which prompted teachers to 
provide narrative descriptions of their experiences.

Measures, Data Collection, & Analysis
Familiarization of the data from field notes and 

narrative interview transcript responses enabled 
the researchers to code the qualitative data and 
identify emerging themes to conduct thematic

analysis of the data. Quantitative results obtained 
from the Likert-scale questionnaire were also used 
to reinforce the relevance of identified themes. Co-in-
vestigators tested the hypothesized model in which 
storytelling cube implementation mediates the rela-
tionship between engagement with social and experi-
ential hands-on storytelling practice and oral language 
production. 

Data Analysis 
Principal investigators combed through multiple 

data sources. Familiarization of the data from field 
notes, and narrative interview transcript responses en-
abled the researchers to code the qualitative data and 
identify emerging themes to conduct thematic analysis 
of the data. Qualtrics was utilized to summarize quali-
tative data from interviews; additionally, this software 
was useful in synthesizing quantitative results. Quan-
titative results obtained from the Likert-scale ques-
tionnaire were also used to reinforce the relevance of 
identified themes. 

Findings 
The Likert scale results indicated teachers’ high 

regard for the use of the cubes with a range of 3 to 5 
on individual statements with 1 being ineffective and 5 
being highly effective. 

In addition, analysis of open-ended questions re-
sulted in preliminary thematic threads: 

1. Increased engagement of students.
2. More complex use of oral language.
3. Heightened social connections among students 

and teachers.
4. Intentional use of open-ended prompting that 

enhanced oral language production.

Open-ended interview questions yielded insightful 
responses from the preschool teachers’ experiences. T1 
indicated that intentional teacher prompting seemed to 
encourage an increased amount of oral language pro-
duction. Specifically, she mentioned that dual language 
learners who were usually more reluctant to speak had

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Strong & Amodei, The Impact of Story



60

an increase in production when using the Emoji Cubes 
strategy. Also, more complex use of oral language 
was linked to teacher prompting with story cubes. T2 
described students’ resulting oral language use as, “…
using more background knowledge when describing”, 
and that they moved beyond “yes or no” answers when 
viewing pictures on the cubes. Overall, all teachers 
indicated an increase in the engagement level of the 
preschoolers, noting that some strategies using the 
cubes were more “popular” than others. In addition to 
the strategy highlighting emotions, students told stories 
about “community helpers” such as firefighters, police 
officers, doctors, etc. and demonstrated an increase in 
social connections as a result. 

Conclusions and Discussion
Overall, principal investigators observed multiple 

positive outcomes. Students were engaging in oral 
language with increased frequency. Students interacted 
with peers and teachers to share creative stories, built 
communication bridges, and reflected on the world 
through their own unique cultural lens. As teachers re-
flected on the implementation of the culturally respon-
sive strategies, they indicated they enjoyed using the 
story cubes, and students were highly engaged. Consis-
tent results across data collection methods indicated 
that students benefited socially from engagement with 
others as they participated in the story cube activities, 
and that oral language production was increased as 
they participated in the reflective storytelling and story 
cube activities. 

While data analysis revealed emerging themes of 
increased engagement, complex use of oral language, 
increased social connections and intentional teach-
er-prompting which resulted in increased oral language 
production, the researchers believe further investiga-
tion is needed that considers language learners of vary-
ing ages from infancy through elementary school-aged 
students, and additionally, utilizes larger sample sizes.
Due to limitations of the study, such as small sample 
size and individual location which contributes to lower 
generalizability of results, the researchers are confident 
that a larger sample size at multiple locations could 
improve validity and reliability of study results. Possi-
ble implications for future study include increasing the 
number of participants, selecting both rural and urban 
locations for comparison of implementation and out-
comes, and developing an observation protocol which 
measures pre- and post- oral language production as 
part of the quantitative measurement.

The goals of this study were to learn how the use of 
story cubes could benefit young dual language learners 
and how their teachers could implement those cul-
turally responsive strategies. Throughout this project, 
researchers not only documented benefits of oral lan-
guage usage, but also gained new insights to the multi-
faceted ways in which young students in the observed 
classrooms were able to make enhanced social connec-
tions with their peers and teachers. Story cubing strat-
egies show potential for impacts on young students’ 
language development, but also for their social/emo-
tional growth. Based upon the study results, research-
ers believe that providing young students and their 
teachers with a variety of story cubing strategies will 
increase oral language usage and provide opportunities 
to explore culturally relevant, meaningful, creative, and 
reflective ways of self-expressive communication.

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1 Laura Strong (laura.strong@sru.edu) is an Instructor in 
the Department of Curriculum, Instruction & Educational 
Leadership at Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, 
Pennsylvania, USA.

2 Michelle Amodei (michelle.amodei@sru.edu) is an 
Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum, 
Instruction & Educational Leadership at Slippery Rock 
University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, USA.

Authors

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Appendix A

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Appendix B


