ABSTRACT
This qualitative phenomenological study found that the experiences of Senior High School English teachers in using digital storytelling included: helped learners understand themes, characters, and narratives more deeply; developed their critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, creativity, and collaboration; supported diverse learning styles; provided an effective and meaningful teaching-learning process; captured learners’ attention and interests; and required more preparation time. The challenges included limited access to devices and software; unstable internet connectivity; increased time requirements for planning, preparation, and project completion; and technical skills deficiencies among learners. They managed the challenges by providing clear instructions and simple digital tools; providing brief skills demonstrations; planning and organizing lessons and all materials in advance; providing alternative offline materials and activities; breaking projects into smaller and guided steps; initiating peer collaboration; providing training and professional development; and collaborating with colleagues.
Keywords: English Teachers, Digital Storytelling, Teaching 21st Century Literature, Enhancement Program
INTRODUCTION
Education is geared towards more digital approaches. In teaching 21st Century Literature, it requires innovative approaches to engage students and develop their essential skills in learning. One approach is the integration of technology into education that has been increasingly emphasized as a way to enhance teaching and learning experiences. The use of digital storytelling in teaching 21st Century Literature enables students to engage with the content through multimodal way, and makes literature subject more interactive and visually appealing. Thus, it can really capture students’ interest to appreciate the lessons.
According to Robin (2021), digital storytelling refers to the practice of using digital media tools to create and share narratives that incorporate traditional storytelling techniques alongside multimedia elements such as text, audio, video, images, and music. This approach transforms conventional storytelling into a more interactive and immersive experience, allowing creators to blend narratives with technology. In education, digital storytelling has become a powerful tool for enhancing student engagement, fostering creativity, and promoting critical thinking. Similarly, it encourages students to actively engage with content by creating their own stories, which facilitates a deeper understanding of the material and develops essential digital literacy skills (Ohler, 2020).
The use of digital storytelling provides an opportunity for teachers to present complex literary themes and concepts in a more engaging and accessible manner in the field of literature education. Teachers can incorporate visual and auditory elements that help students understand the context, setting, and characters of literary works, which may otherwise seem abstract or distant. Additionally, this multimodal approach also allows for increased creativity in both teaching and student expression, as learners can create their own digital stories in response to literature.
Despite the municipality’s growing popularity of digital storytelling, many Senior High School English teachers in the said municipality faced challenges when integrating this method in their teaching of the 21st Century Literature subject. These challenges may include technological barriers, lack of adequate training, time constraints, and difficulty in aligning digital stories with curriculum objectives. Moreover, teachers’ experiences with digital storytelling may vary depending on factors such as their familiarity with technology, students’ learning needs, and the resources available to them. Other English teachers find this exciting for students who are actively participating in their literature classes.
This study sought to explore the experiences of English teachers who used digital storytelling in teaching 21st Century Literature. By examining the benefits, challenges, and impact of this method, the research aimed to contribute to a better understanding of how digital storytelling could be effectively implemented in literature classrooms.
It also aimed to identify strategies for overcoming the obstacles teachers faced, offering insights that may intend to help others in the field incorporate digital storytelling into their teaching practices. Furthermore, the study may provide valuable guidance for educators seeking to adopt digital storytelling as a teaching tool, enhancing both the delivery of literature content and the students’ overall learning experience.
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