Developing Literacy Skills of Lower Primary Students Through Digital Storytelling

The development of literacy skills among young school children is an important factor in achieving academic success, having a direct impact on their ability to understand and use information effectively. In the current educational context, digital storytelling is an innovative and engaging resource that can contribute to young school children’s development of literacy skills. This study analyzed the impact of digital stories use on the emergent literacy of primary school children, highlighting their benefits in the development of reading, comprehension and reflection on a written text skills. The study used a mixed-method research design, combining both quantitative (standardized tests) and qualitative (focus-group) methods to gain a detailed insight into the impact of digital stories on the development of literacy in young school children. The participants were 25 second graders who underwent an educational intervention using digital stories. The assessment of students' progress was carried out through the application of the Learning Strategies Assessment Questionnaire (SMALSI), the Reading Comprehension Strategies scale, the focus being placed on aspects such as reading, monitoring and re-reading texts, as well as self-testing to ensure content comprehension. The quantitative analysis followed the variations in scores obtained in the pre-experimental and post-experimental stages, and the qualitative component included parent and teacher focus groups on students’ literacy level. The results of the study highlighted that exposure to digital stories significantly increases literacy levels in the post-experimental stage compared to the pre-experimental stage.