digital storytelling and multiple-literacy development in english as a foreign language: a case study of young learner

The field of english teaching and learning has been significantly impacted by the covid-19 pandemic hence transformation from traditional to new-age technology-based instruction is a vital factor in education. for instance, digital storytelling (dst) utilizes digital technology to extend traditional storytelling and integrate it with other forms of digital graphics, audio, videos, and music. drawing on the sociocultural theory of mind (sct), the concept of mediation indicates that human cognition is mediated by artifacts or tools, either physical or symbolic (vygotsky, 1978). these cultural artifacts, such as images, texts, and symbolic tools, i.e., language, play an essential role in a learner’s psychological development; moreover, the mediatory artifacts and technology—a reliable source of electronic scaffolding, e.g., video—can mediate learning. it aims at investigating how dst engages, informs, and empowers new generations of efl learners. take the case of a narrative inquiry, the researchers collected data from two thirteen-year-old twins—digital natives—through observations, think-aloud protocols, and videos created by the participants. multiple data collection sources were utilized to investigate how dst can mediate human cognition and enhance language learning, multiple literacies including multimedia, web-based technologies, and communicative competence. the findings revealed that dst facilitated the development of 21st-century skills, multiple-literacy, english language skills, cultural, and social skills. since the young learners dynamically relied on different learning strategies by telling stories, dst inspired children hence leading to autonomy. dst can be utilized in every educational setting or individually to empower learners by using digital tools. moreover, it can facilitate collaborative learning and provide the situation for social and cultural development. besides demonstrating the benefits of employing dst for instructional objectives, some drawbacks were likewise identified. the study’s implications for teachers and young learners who use dst to develop multi-literacy are discussed.