Author(s): S Lalitha Nirmala and B Swarupa Rani

Abstract:
The present study aims to investigate storytelling practices in government and private preschools. The study involved a total of 60 preschool teachers, including 30 from government schools and 30 from private schools in Andhra Pradesh, India. Data were collected through an interview schedule, with preschool teachers serving as the primary respondents. A questionnaire titled “Practices of Storytelling in Preschools” was used to examine the methods employed by preschool teachers during storytelling sessions. The results revealed that storytelling is widely practiced in both government and private preschools, with government preschools showing greater involvement in activities such as story repetition and child-led narration. Storytelling sessions occur more frequently in government schools, prioritizing approaches that support language development and memory, whereas private schools utilize a wider variety of tools, including digital aids, story cards, and puppets. The duration of storytelling sessions in preschools typically ranges between 15 and 25 minutes. Government schools primarily rely on visual aids and storybooks, while private schools adopt a more diverse range of storytelling resources. In both types of preschools, Panchatantra and moral stories emerge as the most commonly used genre compared to other types of stories.