Developing cohesion and building positive relationships through storytelling in a culturally diverse New Zealand classroom

This 2011 study investigates how structured storytelling practices can strengthen relationships and foster cohesion in a culturally diverse New Zealand secondary classroom. Baskerville examines the impact of deliberately implemented storytelling processes that invite students to share personal and cultural narratives within a safe, guided environment.

The research found that storytelling supported empathy, compassion, tolerance, and respect for difference. Students developed deeper understanding of themselves and others, particularly across cultural boundaries. The process also surfaced unexpected benefits, including increased confidence, enhanced self-awareness, and improved peer relationships. Storytelling became a vehicle for voice, allowing students to articulate identity and lived experience in ways that traditional classroom structures did not always enable.
Importantly, the study highlights that storytelling is most powerful when intentionally facilitated by skilled teachers who create relational trust and structure reflective dialogue. It is not incidental conversation, but purposeful pedagogical design that builds inclusive classroom communities.

For the Telling Your Stories Project, this research provides strong evidence that storytelling can be a transformative relational practice. It affirms that culturally grounded narrative approaches foster belonging, strengthen intercultural understanding, and support inclusive, cohesive learning environments aligned with the project's vision.