Digital Storytelling as a Pedagogical Strategy for Improving Students' English Language Skills

Abstract

This study examined digital storytelling as a pedagogical strategy for improving the English language skills of Senior Secondary Two (SS 2) students in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. Using a quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test non-equivalent control group design combined with a mixed-methods approach, the study involved 120 students, divided equally into an experimental group (n = 60) taught using a seven-element DST framework and a control group (n = 60) taught using traditional methods over an eight-week period. Data were collected using a standardized language proficiency test and an adapted Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and were analyzed using ANCOVA and t-tests at the .05 level of significance. Findings revealed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher mean post-test scores in productive skills (M = 76.40 vs. 58.10; F(1, 117) = 198.71, p < .001, partial η² = .629) and receptive skills (M = 78.85 vs. 62.30; F(1, 117) = 191.15, p < .001, partial η² = .620) than the control group. Furthermore, DST was associated with significantly lower speech anxiety scores in the experimental group (M = 32.10 vs. 50.80; t(118) = −18.42, p < .001), with the digital storytelling activities providing an iterative environment for voice recording and self-correction. The study concludes that DST is an effective pedagogical strategy for developing English language skills and communicative confidence and recommends its integration into secondary school curricula alongside teacher capacity building.