Digital storytelling in childhood education: Perceptions of Saudi early childhood teachers

Abstract

This quantitative study investigates Saudi early childhood teachers’ usage of digital storytelling to support children’s academic and social development. A quantitative approach was adopted to collect data from 200 early childhood teachers working in public and private schools over nine weeks. The scales explored teachers’ usage of DST as a pedagogical tool to support children’s academic and social development and learning, the benefits and challenges teachers face when integrating DST into their teaching practices, and the impact of DST on children’s engagement, creativity, narrative skills, and media literacy. The findings indicated that the majority of respondents held positive attitudes toward DST as a pedagogical tool. They also indicated a positive influence on children’s academic learning and social development. The respondents revealed some challenges related to lack of training, managing children, and costs associated with equipment and software tools. Test results showed statistically significant associations between teachers’ attitudes towards using DST and years of teaching experience. No statistically significant associations were found between teachers’ attitudes and school type. This study offers valuable insights into educational technology, especially media literacy for childhood education, to integrate DST into weekly lesson plans to maximize its impact on children’s academic and social development.