A study on the development of Hong Kong community college students’ digital literacy through digital storytelling

Abstract

It is well established in the research literature that effective communication today requires not only the ability to read, write, speak and listen but also the skills of viewing and representing through digital media (Frazel, 2010; Jolls, 2008; Kress, 2003; Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2006; Ohler, 2008). Screens are becoming an increasingly dominant medium for communication. Students need to develop digital literacy skills in order to effectively learn in today’s world and further their studies, or enter work-places that require the use of information technology. Higher education institutions are presented with this requirement and a challenge to ensure that students develop appropriate digital literacy skills. Although institutions around the world are beginning to integrate these skills across the curriculum, relatively little is known about how to effectively develop them through appropriate classroom activities. The aim of this study is to investigate how digital literacy can develop through digital storytelling approach, explicate the affordances of digital storytelling for digital literacy learning, and understand the conditions influencing implementation of the affordances for digital literacy learning. Qualitative case study data was collected from a tertiary institute in Hong Kong to evaluate which skills the students were able to develop and to explore how they engaged in the process of creating their digital stories. Three participants aged 18-19 were selected from the Multimedia Technology and Applications elective course of a Hong Kong community college. Data collected from pre- and post-interviews and student reflective journals were analysed according to themes and codes, along with digital artefacts. In order to understand how digital literacy developed, the participants’ initial digital literacy was evaluated with a prescribed rubric based on the written self-introduction, short video and pre-interview. The study is theoretically and practically significant. The results of this study inform theoretical work that the digital literacy can be promoted by the affordances of digital storytelling pedagogy – student engagement, reflection for deep learning, technology integration, authentic learning environment and motivation. The results also reveal that the levels of digital literacy skills are enhanced regardless of participants’ initial digital creation experience and skillset. The study is practically significant in identifying the conditions facilitating implementation of the affordance for promoting digital literacy learning and a set of guidelines when digital storytelling activities are incorporated in curriculum design. Further research is recommended with digital storytelling pedagogy deployment, not only in technical-related courses, but also in courses in other areas such as arts and languages. This could allow researchers to gain further understanding on how digital literacy can develop with the pedagogical affordances in other disciplines. Moreover, it is suggested that a relatively long period of study should be conducted - for example, two semesters - to understand how well the students apply the skills and knowledge in other courses in the following semester.