Using Digital Storytelling (DST) to improve pupils' speaking skills, student engagement, character strengths, and wellbeing : a teacher's perspective

DST is an innovative educational approach that leverages digital tools and multimedia to captivate students in crafting and exchanging personal narratives. By combining technology with storytelling, DST presents distinct avenues for enhancing students' speaking abilities, instilling positive values like love, gratitude, and teamwork, fostering student engagement and active learning, and facilitating meaningful connections among students and educators. In this study, a qualitative research design was employed to explore the benefits of DST from for students a teacher's perspective. The data was gathered between September and October 2023, through in-depth interviews with 10 primary school teachers in Hong Kong who have utilized/observed the use of DST in their classrooms. The findings suggest that DST has a positive influence on pupils' speaking skills by providing a creative and interactive platform for them to practice and refine their oral communication abilities in English language. Additionally, DST helped to enhance students' engagement, as it encourages active participation. Furthermore, teachers reported that DST nurtures character strengths such as teamwork, love, gratitude, and grit. Importantly, the study also highlights the potential of DST to promote overall wellbeing among students. The insights gained from this study have implications for policymakers, educators, and researchers in the field of education and children wellbeing. Understanding the benefits of DST on speaking skills, student engagement, character strengths, and wellbeing can inform the development of effective pedagogical strategies and curriculum design that prioritize the integration of digital storytelling approaches.