Storytelling and Narrative Transportation as a Catalyst for Self-Efficacy and Action in the Face of Climate Change
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i4.3244Keywords:
Storytelling, Story Features, Reader Characteristics, Narrative Transportation, Self Efficacy, Content Interest, Climate Change Anxiety, Climate Change EducationAbstract
Climate change, characterized by intricate scientific foundations and far-reaching implications, presents significant societal and individual challenges. We examined how storytelling and narrative transportation can enhance climate change education by influencing self-efficacy, content interest, and climate change anxiety. Narrative transportation is the imaginary journey readers take while focusing their attention on a story. Using a Taguchi design, we constructed eight versions of a climate change story, manipulating story ending, fictionality, collective identity, and verisimilitude. University students read one of the stories and completed a questionnaire. Reading the story increased self-efficacy expectancies by 28% (p < .001). Narrative transportation significantly increased content interest and was positively correlated with climate change anxiety. Fictionality moderated the relationship between narrative transportation and self-efficacy. The relation between narrative transportation and self-efficacy was stronger for nonfiction stories. Verisimilitude increased narrative transportation and improved learning outcomes. Self-involvement increased narrative transportation. Self-relevant stories yielded narrative transportation. Realistic, personally relevant stories enhance climate change education by increasing narrative transportation and learning outcomes.
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