The Impact of Digital Storytelling on EFL Learners’ Speaking Skills

Abstract

Situated in the field of technology and language teaching and learning, the current paper reports a mixed-method research study on the use of digital storytelling for developing EFL learners’ speaking skills. The purpose of this research study, therefore, was threefold: primarily, to investigate the impact of digital storytelling on EFL learners’ speaking skills, secondly, to reveal learners’ attitude towards implementing this program, and thirdly, to report the students’ learning behaviors when using the program. Accordingly, this experimental study revealed the effect of a 7-week instructional treatment on speaking skill, in which speaking was addressed to be developed in terms of the integration of digital storytelling. The study employed quasi-experimental design since the participants were not chosen randomly. They were placed at the appropriate level according to the results of a proficiency test. 12 EEClearners, assigned to the experimental group and the same number to the control group participatedin the study. The learners’ oral performance was elicited by means of interactional tasks based on the pre and post test. The instrumentations used for data collection constituted pre and post tests, an attitudinal questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. Respectively, the study made use of both qualitative and quantitative data. The results of statistical analysis displayed that there was a trend towards significant gains in the learners’ oral production after the treatment. It also documented thelearners’ positive attitude towards the program and revealed the students’ learning strategies.