Exploring storytelling practices of pre-service teachers with young EFL learners in the Turkish primary context

There have been numerous theoretical recommendations for the use of age-appropriate pedagogical tools for young learners (YLs) such as storytelling. However, a practical challenge remains in understanding how novice teachers translate these recommendations into concrete scaffolding strategies in actual classrooms and how effective they are in engaging children with English. Grounded in sociocultural theory, this study aimed to identify the scaffolding strategies within storytelling used by pre-service EFL teachers and examine how these strategies engage young EFL learners with the language. Data were collected through video-recorded classroom observations, children’s art books, and semi-structured interviews. A total of eight pre-service teacher storytellers, 62 seven-year-old EFL learners, and two class teachers participated in the study. The findings revealed that storytellers used several strategies, including voice modulation, expressive body language, display questions, and repetition, which were instrumental in scaffolding comprehension and engaging learners. YLs mostly engaged with English through translating, answering, or guessing the meaning in L1. Interestingly, YLs showed a high degree of contentment with story classes despite relatively low comprehension levels. The study offers practical insights for teacher education and curricula, demonstrating how interactional learning environments are created through novice teachers’ concrete scaffolding strategies and the YL’s responsive engagement during storytelling.