Interactive Low-Cost Teacher-Guided Mobile-Based Storytelling and Children’s Vocabulary Retention in ECCE Centres in Calabar Educational Zone

Okon Emilia Etim; Agba Rosemary Unwaunyin; Etorti Imoke John

doi:10.56201/ijee.v12.no.3.2026.pg81.105

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Interactive Low-Cost Teacher-Guided Mobile-Based Storytelling and Children’s Vocabulary Retention in ECCE Centres in Calabar Educational Zone

Okon Emilia Etim, Agba Rosemary Unwaunyin, Etorti Imoke John,

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of a teacher-guided interactive mobile-based storytelling method on vocabulary retention of Early Childhood Care and Education learners within the Calabar Educational Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group design was adopted for the research. The population comprises 17,795 individuals, consisting of 1,756 caregivers and teachers as well as 16,038 preschool children in 439 ECCE/Creche centres in the Calabar Educational Zone of Cross River State. Multistage sampling technique was adopted to obtain a sample of 391 participants consisting of 111 caregivers and teachers and 280 preschoolers selected from 49 ECCE/Creche centres in the same educational zone. Three instruments; Vocabulary Retention Test , Teacher Perception and Readiness Questionnaire , and Classroom Observation Checklist were used for the collection of data. The three instruments were validated by experts in relevant fields while an overall reliability index of 0.81 was obtained using the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) as well as inferential statistics, namely Analysis of Covariance and independent samples t-test, and all tests were conducted at 0.05 level of significance. The result showed that there was no significant difference in the pre-test performance (Baseline) vocabulary level of learners of both the experimental (M=12.84, SD=2.31) and control groups (M=12.67, SD=2.28). However, the performance in terms of the post-test level indicated that learners exposed to teacher guided mobile-based storytelling method showed statistically higher vocabulary retention (M=24.81, SD=2.62) compared to learners taught using the traditional storytelling method (M=17.94, SD=2.83). The result also shows that at four-week delayed post-test, the experimental group maintained a higher score (Mean=23.73, SD=2.48) than the control group (Mean =15.86, SD=2.91) in the retention vocabulary test. ANCOVA performed revealed a significant influence of the treatment on the vocabulary retention of the learners (F=104.95, p<0.001, Partial η2=.275), and the teachers showed a positive perception and readiness (Grand Mean=3.70) towards integrating mobile storytelling in teaching vocabulary. The study concluded that the teacher- guided interactive mobile-based storytelling is an effective instructional method for improving learners’ vocabulary acquisition and retention. Therefore, this study recommends that mobile based stories could be integrated into the ECCE curriculum to improve learner’s vocabulary. IJEE IJEE www.ijee.io

Keywords

Mobile-based storytelling; Vocabulary retention; Early Childhood Care and Education ; Preschool learners; Teacher-guided instruction.

References

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Interactive Low-Cost Teacher-Guided Mobile-Based Storytelling and Children’s Vocabulary Retention in ECCE Centres in Calabar Educational Zone

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