An investigation of Digital Storytelling to Enhance 21st Century Skills

Abstract

Digital storytelling is becoming increasingly popular in education. It is also being successfully adapted in EFL/ESL classrooms to engage learners in meaningful language use. The current paper reports on a mixed-method research study on the potential of digital storytelling to enhance 21st century skills: motivation to learn English, critical thinking skills and civic engagement in Armenian EFL context. The sample of the study consisted of 28 EFL learners of the 10th and 11th grades enrolled in an Armenian private school. They participated in a 12-week afterschool English course on civic engagement through digital storytelling. The instruments of the study included: a questionnaire on motivation for learning English; a civic engagement questionnaire and a critical thinking test. The students took the questionnaires and tests before and after implementing the program. At the end of the program six purposefully students took a semi-structured interview. Results of the pre and post assessments show statistically significant improvement among the participants after the treatment in terms of their motivation for learning English, civic engagement, and critical thinking skills. Interview results emphasize educational and empowering value of digital storytelling.