Tales in a Textbook: Learning in the Traditional and Narrative Modes

Abstract

Research in cognitive psychology and emerging classroom applications suggest that the narrative approach may be a useful mode of textbook organization. This study compared undergraduates' preference and performance with traditional (T) and narrative (N) text. On a review quiz and final exam, the majority chose to be tested on narrative text. On routine quizzes, a statistically significant difference in performance appeared in one of six in-stances, favoring the narrative. On the final exam, all mean scores were higher for the narrative, yielding a significant correlation between performance and text mode. On a follow-up test, material from narrative chapters was more often recalled; for two chapters, these differences were significant. Questionnaire data showed the narrative as being more enjoyable and more useful in learning.