Supporting Indigenous children’s oral storytelling using a culturally referenced,  developmentally based program

Meadow Schroeder; Erin Tourigny; Stan Bird; Jackie Ottmann; Joan Jeary; Duane Mark; Clarice Kootenay; Susan Graham; Anne McKeough

doi:10.55146/ajie.v51i2.50

Authors

Meadow Schroeder University of Calgary
Erin Tourigny University of Calgary
Stan Bird University of Calgary
Jackie Ottmann First Nations University of Canada
Joan Jeary University of Calgary
Duane Mark Stoney Education Authority
Clarice Kootenay Stoney Education Authority
Susan A. Graham University of Calgary
Anne McKeough University of Calgary

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55146/ajie.v51i2.50

Keywords:

storytelling, Indigenous learners, culturally-referenced instruction, cognitive scaffolding

Abstract

Indigenous communities in Canada have struggled with systemic inequities that have affected education outcomes of their children. In collaboration with a Stoney Nakoda community in Western Canada, a university research team, composed of Indigenous and non-Indigenous members, offered an instruction program designed to use storytelling as a gateway to early literacy development. Indigenous researchers and collaborators guided program adaptation to increase its cultural relevance, and non-Indigenous researchers drew upon developmental research to tailor scaffolded instruction that supported increased story-structure complexity. A total of 100 children aged 5 to 7 years participated in an eight-month storytelling program, which included pre- and post-instruction assessments of storytelling and recall. After instruction, participants generated more complex, detailed stories that contained more references to their culture compared to same-age peers. They also more accurately recalled the gist of stories they were read. This study demonstrates the importance of making curricula relevant to Indigenous children by including content that is culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate.

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Author Biographies

Meadow Schroeder, University of Calgary

Meadow Schroeder holds a PhD in School Psychology and is an Associate Professor in the Werklund School of Education. She has held numerous leadership positions including the development and coordination of a First-Nations only school psychology master’s degree program. Her research interests include the well-being of students with disabilities transitioning to post-secondary and self-regulated learning. She is the past recipient of awards for teaching online and education leadership.

Erin Tourigny, University of Calgary

Erin Tourigny holds a MEd in Special Education from the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. While enrolled in the Human Development and Learning PhD program, her research focused on storytelling as a bridge to early literacy development for Indigenous learners. Ms Tourigny has taught regular and special education and is currently a Principal with the Calgary Board of Education.

Stan Bird, University of Calgary

Stan Bird holds a PhD in Human Development and Learning from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His academic writing and presentations have focused on Indigenous narrative thought and the role of narrative in Indigenous students’ literacy learning. He is Anishinaabe and Nehiyawuk from Peguis First Nation, Manitoba, Canada. He divides his time between his community and Victoria, British Columbia where he works with Coast Salish, Nu-chul-nuth, and Kwak-waka-wak peoples.

Jackie Ottmann, First Nations University of Canada

Jackie Ottmann (Misiaykimigookpaypomoytung) is President of the First Nations University of Canada. Prior to this prestigious appointment, she was an educator, researcher, and administrator at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. Her position as a leader in higher education is reflected in her appointment as current President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education. Dr. Ottmann is Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), a speaker of the Nakawe language, and a member of the Fishing Lake First Nation in southern Saskatchewan.

Joan Jeary, University of Calgary

Joan Jeary has had extensive experience in all levels of public education. She was employed by the Calgary board of Education , initially as a Psychologist and then as a Principal. She also served as Deputy Superintendent in the Province of Alberta. Subsequently, Dr Jeary accepted an academic appointment in Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Calgary, where she taught graduate and undergraduate students, conducted research, and served as Director of Clinical Services for an on-campus clinic that provides psychology services to the community.

Duane Mark, Stoney Education Authority

Duane Mark is a culture and language educator and public speaker. He resides in the community of Mîîthnî Mâkoché and speaks the Îethka Wîchasta language fluently. He holds a Diploma in Social Work from Mt Royal University and formerly worked with Îethka Wîchasta Child and Family. As a member of the Mîîthnî Mâkoché community school staff, he develops and implements culture and language curricula, which involves classroom-based learning as well as immersive land-based programming. He has worked with Elder Kootenay and others in revising published Îethka Wîchasta legends and developing the Stoney Vocab Builder.

Clarice Kootenay, Stoney Education Authority

Elder Clarice Kootenay resides in the community of Mîîthnî Mâkoché (formerly referred to as Morley) and speaks the Îethka Wîchasta language fluently. She is also widely recognised for her knowledge of Îethka Wîchasta history and cultural practices and has frequently been called upon as a public speaker. Elder Kootenay holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and has worked with others in revising published Îethka Wîchasta legends to make them more authentic and developing the Stoney Vocab Builder for use within schools and in the broader community.

Susan A. Graham, University of Calgary

Susan A. Graham is the Director of the Owerko Centre for Neurodevelopment and Child Mental Health, Scientific Director for the Azrieli Accelerator, and a Professor in the Department of Psychology. As a clinical-developmental psychologist, her research focuses on understanding language and cognitive development during the infancy and preschool years and is funded by SSHRC and NSERC.

Anne McKeough, University of Calgary

Anne McKeough is Professor Emerita, Faculty of Education, University of Calgary. She has taught, researched, and published in the areas of developmental and educational psychology. Her work, which has been funded by local and national granting agencies, has focused on documenting children’s and youths' cognitive growth to inform the design and delivery of educational programming. This research program has contributed to an understanding of the role of storytelling in early literacy development when factors such as cultural forms of narrative thought, learners’ processing capacity and multimodal conceptual bridging are integrated within the teaching process.

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