Design and validation of an integrated digital storytelling–problem-based learning system in primary mathematics: effects on conceptual understanding of decimal fractions

Abstract

This study investigates the design and empirical validation of an integrated digital storytelling–problem-based learning (PBL) environment for supporting primary students’ conceptual understanding of decimal fractions. Decimal learning remains conceptually demanding due to students’ reliance on whole-number reasoning and difficulty coordinating symbolic and magnitude-based representations. Grounded in multimedia learning theory and inquiry-based pedagogy, the intervention operationalized digital storytelling as a structured multimodal construction process embedded within collaborative problem solving, positioning technology as a representational and cognitive regulation system rather than a presentation medium. A two-phase quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was implemented to evaluate both effectiveness and stability of the instructional model. Phase 1 included 66 Grade 5 students in one school, followed by a replication phase with 121 students across two additional schools to examine cross-context robustness. In both phases, posttest outcomes were analyzed using ANCOVA controlling for pretest performance. Assumptions of homogeneity of variances and regression slopes were satisfied. Results revealed a statistically significant effect of instructional condition in Phase 1, F(1, 62) = 5.38, p = .024, partial η² = .080, replicated in Phase 2, F(1, 117) = 6.19, p = .014, partial η² = .050. Students exposed to the integrated digital storytelling–PBL system demonstrated higher adjusted posttest scores than peers receiving traditional instruction. Pretest achievement remained a strong predictor of outcomes across phases. Findings indicate that when digital storytelling is systematically embedded within structured inquiry and aligned with multimedia learning principles, technology can operate as a coordinated instructional system supporting multimodal representational integration. Replication across independent samples strengthens confidence in the short-term stability of the model within authentic classroom environments. However, the quasi-experimental design, the use of intact classrooms, and the context-specific sample require cautious interpretation of causal claims and limit broad generalization.