Definition of Terms
Storybook
A storybook is a piece of literature that is intended for young readers and typically consists of a narrative or multiple narratives (Beuchat et al., 2009). A narrative is a recounting of an experience, actual or imagined, that the author hopes the reader will find entertaining (made-up). Storytelling aims to pique our curiosity, keep our attention, and impart valuable knowledge. Sharing and listening to stories has always been a popular way for humans to bond, exchange information, and daydream about what is possible in the world (Chen et al., 2003).
Streamlining the process of finding new books for youngsters involves assisting them in identifying reading genres that capture their attention. For example, if a child knows that the Harry Potter novels belong to the fantasy genre, then they may approach the librarians for suggestions of similar works. Some of the storybook genres that children can read include realistic, historical, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, informational and biographic storybooks (Kaderavek & Justice, 2005). Information or values that the society intends to inculcate in a learner can be modified to fit into any genre.
Contagious Diseases
There are many ways in which contagious diseases (such as influenza, common cold, or strep throat) can transfer from one person to another. Touching or kissing an infected individual is one route of transmission. Furthermore, an infectious germ can spread from person to person by airborne transmission after someone in close proximity sneezes or coughs. Hence, learners must understand the nature of contagious diseases.
Introduction
Young learners are the most prone to contracting contagious diseases. Most of these learners need to be made aware of some of the means by which they contract the diseases. Because they lack insight, inevitably, they will constantly indulge in activities that transmit these communicable diseases and leave them vulnerable to infection (Ramirez & Biggers, 2020). Because of their tender age, it is prudent that those in charge of preparing the educational curriculum prepare learner-friendly instructional materials. One of the best ways to create awareness among young learners is to create short stories that address the genesis and transmission of infectious diseases. According to a UNICEF report, most children aged six and below die because infectious diseases weaken their immune systems; hence, it is important to study and understand infectious diseases (UNICEF, n.d.).
Research questions
The following research questions will guide this study:
- How are storybooks useful in imparting information to learners?
- What is the understanding of young learners about communicable diseases?
- In which ways can storybooks be used to enhance learner awareness of Infectious diseases?
Literature Reviewed
According to Turan & Ulutas (2016), storybooks can be used to impart desirable values to the learner. The study identified that using storybooks with pictures of characters doing something is very important in imparting educational values to learners in early childhood classes. However, for the picture storybooks to be more effective, the study proposed that the quality and content of the books should be enriched and be made to be objective. Instilling character or values that are socially acceptable at a young age prepares learners to assume their roles in society in the future.
According to Horst & Houston-Price (2015), using a storybook for young learners can correct children’s errors about certain environmental entities. For instance, if a learner has stereotypes concerning gender, depending on how characters are painted in the children’s storybook, gender stereotypes can be rectified. Illustrated storybooks are a practical approach to examining what children know about how things are done in their society. Using storybooks to illustrate how hard concepts exist can easily compel learners into acceptance. The literature creates a gap in identifying if the implementation of literature can be used to enlighten learners about infectious diseases.
Theorizing Multimedia Instruction Illustrations accompanying short stories seem useful to kids, just as visuals accompanying informational text seem useful to adults. What the learner reads, emphasized with graphic presentations, enhances the learner’s memory. The likelihood of them forgetting what they learn in storybooks is narrow. From previous studies utilizing eye-gaze methods, Takacs & Bus (2016) anticipated that children’s attention likely concentrates on those regions of the artwork emphasized by the text, assisting children in creating meaningful associations between word and visual data. Previous research has demonstrated that youngsters integrate the visuals and the words when they fixate on time-locked referencing statements in the text. Hence, using storybooks presents ideas convincingly that are unforgettable to the learner.
Methodology
The research majorly utilized the search engine using keywords like “storybooks in early learning, how storybooks facilitate learning among children, and impacts of animated storybooks in learning.” The materials selected to inform this study were based on their relevancy and ability to respond to some of the study’s research questions. Information was collected by observation, and the data collected was majorly qualitative. Literature for the study also had to address the needs of the target population; early childhood-level of learners.
Discussions
Benefits of Using Storybooks in Teaching and Learning
Storybooks have already been used in other fields and have been found to be effective. According to Takacs & Bus (2016), storybooks and graphic presentations enhance memory and retention of concepts. Hence, if learners are to be effectively taught more about infectious diseases, curriculum objectives can be amplified in storybooks accompanied by students with desirable qualities. When the learners read and see pictures demonstrating the concepts, there is a higher likelihood that their attention will be captivated, and the possibility of them forgetting is minimized.
Children’s Understanding of Contagious Diseases
The process of understanding contagious diseases will be eased for the learners. Learners easily get bored by constant narrations. Verbal messages complemented with pictorial representations help learners associate messages they read about infectious diseases with reality. Learners will thus be more curious to understand what the images they see in the storybook mean. When a concept is explained to them, they can commit it to memory. Children will know what to look out for and what to do to avoid passing on an infection to other learners. For instance, a picture of a boy sneezing while covering his mouth will compel young learners to start practicing socially acceptable behavior.
Using Storybooks to Introduce Abstract Ideas
Abstract ideas are often unseen or not present in the learner’s immediate environment. If implemented in early childhood, storybooks will enhance the learner’s comprehension of abstract ideas. For instance, the learners will have a construed awareness of how contagious infections will affect them and, when they do, how they should conduct themselves. According to Takacs & Bus (2016), young learners start making meaningful associations with what they read with elements that may not be present in their immediate environment. in a future case scenario, if affected by infectious diseases, likely, these young learners will easily accept and apply the concepts learned compelling them to act in conformity with social regulations (Horst & Houston-Price, 2015).
Findings and Recommendations
Learners attending early levels of learning are the most prone to infectious diseases, and in worst-case scenarios, some can succumb to death. Learners, however young, need to be enlightened about the nature of these infectious diseases and how their spread can be mitigated. Knowledge has to be broken down to match the learners’ standards for the information to be effectively transmitted. Animated storybooks are actually the best way to present such information to learners. The pictorial representations will attract the learners. They will then associate the message and pictures portrayed and commit the knowledge to memory.
It is recommendable that governments and curriculum implementers develop curriculum materials to pique learners’ interests. Resources can be set aside to develop learner-friendly storybooks that address infectious diseases. The verbal messages, if they are to interest early childhood learners, they should always be supplemented with pictures. Learners should constantly be guided to create an abstract link between the verbal and pictorial representation.
Conclusion
For learning activities to be effective, they must be made in a manner that appeals to the learners’ attention, depending on their level. Concepts such as contagious diseases are too complex to be understood by learners. The best way to present such information will be to develop a storybook that relates verbal messages to pictorials, creating an abstract idea in the learner’s mind. Hence, utilizing animated storybooks is an effective methodology for enlightening learners about contagious diseases.
References
Beauchat, K. A., Blamey, K. L., & Walpole, S. (2009). Building preschool children’s language and literacy one storybook at a time. The Reading Teacher, 63(1), 26-39.
Chen, M., Ferdig, R., & Wood, A. (2003). Understanding technology-enhanced storybooks and their roles in teaching and learning: An investigation of electronic storybooks in education. Journal of Literacy and Technology, 3(1), 1-15.
Horst, J. S., & Houston-Price, C. (2015). An open book: What and how young children learn from picture and story books. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1719.
Kaderavek, J. N., & Justice, L. M. (2005). The effect of book genre in the repeated readings of mothers and their children with language impairment: A pilot investigation. Child language teaching and therapy, 21(1), 75-92.
Ramirez, V. B., & Biggers, A. (2020). What is R0? Gauging contagious infections. Healthline.
Takacs, Z. K., & Bus, A. G. (2016). Benefits of motion in animated storybooks for children’s visual attention and story comprehension. An eye-tracking study. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1591.
Turan, F., & Ulutas, I. (2016). Using Storybooks as a Character Education Tools. Journal of education and practice, 7(15), 169-176.
UNICEF (n.d). Childhood diseases. Available at https://www.unicef.org/health/childhood-diseases
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