Storytelling for Improving Vocabulary and Motivation in Bilingual Third-Language Learners

This study investigated the impact of storytelling on English vocabulary acquisition among bilingual young learners in primary education, focusing on Slovak and Hungarian speaking children learning English as a third language. Recognising the motivational challenges of third-language learning, engaging storytelling activities were incorporated to improve learning outcomes. The qualitative action research was conducted over 16 English lessons using four books by Julia Donaldson. Each lesson combined warm-up activities, vocabulary pre-teaching, reading, video viewing, and interactive tasks such as games, drawing, character descriptions, and dramatization. Data were collected through classroom observations, focus group discussions, pupils’ evaluations, and written vocabulary recall tasks. The finding revealed considerable improvements in vocabulary acquisition, pronunciation, and learner engagement. Pupils responded enthusiastically to the storytelling-based lessons, showing increased participation and motivation to use English actively. Overall, storytelling proved to be an effective pedagogical approach for improving vocabulary learning and motivation among bilingual young learners learning English as a third language.