Halah Alismail

CURR 5090

Dr. Mark Malone

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTEGRATING DIGITAL

STORYTELLING IN EDUCATION

SAMPLE DST

INTRODUCTION:

• Digital storytelling (DST) supports students’ abilities because students who

create their own digital stories improve different technological skills such

as working with text, still images, audio, music, and video (Robin, 2005).

• DST provides teachers a unique way to:

Present new material

Help students understand difficult information

Support learning environment

Enhance students’ motivation

Develop 21st century skills ( collaboration skills, problem solving, and

critical thinking)

Q: How does digital storytelling effect students’ learning achievement,

motivation, and 21st century skills?

DST EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT:

Yang and Wu (2012)

• Purpose: Examined the implications of using digital storytelling

(DST) on the achievement of ELL high school students in Taiwan

• Participants: 110 students from two 10th grade classes; control group

(56 students), experimental group (54 students)

• Analysis: English Achievement Test (EAT) and General English

Proficiency Test (GEPT)

• Result: Significant difference between groups F(1, 107) = 41.43, p <

.01, partial η2.28

• Strengths: Used comparison & experimental group design

• Limitations: Sample size; Test standardized on small sample

DST EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT:

Tatum (2009)

• Purpose: Examined the effects of participation in a Directed Reading Activity (DRA) incorporating multimedia tools to measure students’ achievement

• Participants: 80 sixth grade students from a private school, divided randomly into control and experimental groups

• Analysis: Pretest and posttest cloze assessments

• Result: No significant differences in students’ achievement F(1, 78) = .047, p = .829

• Strengths: Preparation of teacher

• Limitations: Length of study and lack of variety in the DST software programs / future research should include a visual component; over a longer period; variety of texts and software

DST EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION:

Wu, Yen, and Marek (2011)

• Purpose: Investigated the impact of integrating technology on building

students’ motivation.

• Participants: 227 EFL college majors and non-majors in Taiwan

(videoconferencing)

• Analysis: Questionnaire, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Structural Equation

Modeling, and t-test

• Result: Higher motivation

• Strengths: Using 3 advanced statistical tools

• Limitations: Applied only videoconferencing; no variety in multimedia

DST EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION:

Cox (2008)

• Purpose: Examined the effectiveness of using digital learning on students’ motivational attitude

• Participants: Graduate leadership students at the University of Memphis

• Analysis: Survey; Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI); ANOVA

• Result: No demonstration of gains pretest to posttest in attitudes toward technology F(3, 98) = 1.88, p = .139

• Strengths: Integrating digital tools as a function of students’ learning style

• Limitations: Number of participants not indicated; had similar characteristics

DST EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ SKILLS:

Yang and Wu (2012)

• Purpose: Investigated the impact of DST in developing critical thinking

• Participants: 110 students from two 10th grade classes in Taiwan

• Analysis: (CTT-I), ANCOVA, and MANCOVA

• Result: Significant difference in critical thinking scores of

two groups

• Strengths: Used different measures to analyze; created sub-studies (achievement, motivation and critical thinking)

• Limitations: Examined only one aspect of 21st century critical thinking skills

DST EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ SKILLS:

Thang and Mahmud (2013)

• Purpose: Examined students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of

digital storytelling in supporting their 21st century skills

• Participants: 201 university students from English Social Science in

Malaysia; (LP) and (HP) learners

• Analysis: Quantitative survey; ANOVA

• Result: Similar perceptions in both groups relative to 21st century

skills

• Strengths: Sample; different proficiency levels of EL development

• Limitations: Time-consuming; sample students’ abilities to apply

technology skills were limited

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Achievement • 5 out of 8 showed

significant impact on

student learning

• 3 out of 8 indicated no

statistical significant

difference

Motivation • 5 out of 7 found

integrating multimedia

significant in increasing

motivation

• 2 out of 7 found no

statistical significant

effect

21st century

skillsFive studies showed significance of integrating DST

in support of 21st century skills

CONCLUSION:

• First 2 areas clearly supported by multiple studies

• 21st century skills = less conclusive

• more studies needed

• Professional development for teachers

• The integration of digital storytelling in education have an impact on

students’ achievement, motivation, and skills.

Integrating technology + training = Positive results (learning,

motivation, and skills)

REFERENCES

Cox, T. (2008) Learning styles and students’ attitudes toward the use of technology in higher and

adult education courses. Institute of Learning Style Research Journal, 2(1), 1-13

Robin, B. (2005). Educational uses of digital storytelling. Main directory for the educational uses of

digital storytelling. Instructional technology Program. University of Huston.

Tatum, E. (2009). Digital storytelling as a cultural-historical activity: Effects on information text

comprehension (Doctoral dissertations)

Thang, S., & Mahmud, N. (2013) A case of equipping malaysian esl undergraduates with 21st

century skills via digital storytelling. Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education,

2(8), 1-8

Yang, Ya-Ting C., & Wu, Wan-Chi I. (2012) Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic

achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study.

Computers & Education, 59(2), 339-352. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2011.12.012

Wu, W. C. V., Yen, L. L., & Marek, M. (2011). Using online EFL interaction to increase confidence,

motivation, and ability. Educational Technology & Society, 14 (3), 118–129