Digital storytelling as a strategy for developing 21st-century skills: a systematic review of qualitative evidence

ABSTRACT

Digital storytelling (DST) is an educational strategy that has been shown to be capable of developing a wide range of skills. The focus of this review is to examine the relationship between this strategy and the development of 21st-century skills, a highly relevant notion in today’s educational systems. The findings combine qualitative evidence regarding DST and its influence on developing 21st-century skills. A meta-aggregative approach was utilised to analyse the results of 18 selected studies. The results suggest that 1) no matter the characteristics of the DST activity, there will always be 21st-century skills at play when creating a digital story; 2) the relationship between DST and 21st-century skills is solid and clear; and 3) there is a notable influence on critical thinking, creativity and collaboration skills. Finally, design principles and recommendations for practitioners are proposed.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital storytelling
• 21st-century skills
• skills development
• systematic review
• qualitative evidence review

Acknowledgments

This article is a part of the first author’s dissertation in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Teacher Education at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel carried out under the second author’s supervisor.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Agency for Research and Development [ANID] Chile, Becas Chile Scholarship Programme [Grant 2019-72200468].

Notes on contributors

Mary-Ann Isaacs

Mary-Ann Isaacs is a PhD student at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Her research interests are situated within the field of technology integration in teacher education and digital practices in teaching.

Jo Tondeur

Jo Tondeur is a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium and a visiting professor at the University of Wollongong, Australia. His research is situated within the field of instructional design, professional development and educational innovations. Most of his research focuses on the integrated use of ICT in compulsory education and online and blended learning in higher education.

Sarah Howard

Sarah Howard is an Associate Professor of Digital Technologies in Education, at the University of Wollongong and a visiting Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She is the Education Lead in the SMART Infrastructure Facility and a full member of the Early Start Research Institute. Her research looks at technology-related change in education, specifically teacher practice and integration in learning.

Magdalena Claro

Magdalena Claro is an Associate Professor of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Head of the Center for the Study of Policies and Practices in Education of the same University. Her research interests are in the field of digital technologies in education, digital skills and teaching and learning practices in digital environments.

Johan van Braak

Johan van Braak is a full professor at the Department of Educational Studies at Ghent University (Belgium). He is interested in a range of research topics related to educational technology, educational measurement and school effectiveness.