Exploring the Lived Experiences of Designing Digital Storeytelling Among EFL Pre-Service Teachers: A Focus on Creative Thinking

Creativity, one of the crucial skills in the 21st century, has become an increasing focus in language teaching as education has transformed to digital learning. There is an urgent need for educators to incorporate activities such as digital storytelling (DST) to encourage students to explore diverse perspectives and develop innovative solutions. In this study, 35 pre-service teachers (PSTs) of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) were voluntarily recruited in adherence to ethical protocols. We explored the PSTs’ experiences in using their creative thinking skills to create digital storytelling. Data were collected through narrative frames, interviews, and artifacts (digital stories). The findings of this study showed that the participants generated numerous ideas for their stories. They were flexible regarding different perspectives and feedback. Furthermore, they ensured that their stories and media components were original. They also enriched their stories with many components (translation, audio, and others). This indicates that the four components of creative thinking skills (fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration) were evident in the PSTs’ experiences. Therefore, creative learning activities need to be incorporated into teacher education programs so that teachers will be familiar with creative learning and can integrate it into their classrooms in the future.