Digital Storytelling Research Articles

‘We do not include tests and treatment for those [STI] conditions’: the trouble in navigating access and care for STIs among gay, bisexual men and transgender and other MSM in Kenya and Rwanda

Abstract Background Lesbian, gay, bisexual men, and transgender persons (LGBT) in Kenya and Rwanda have a hard time accessing healthcare, in particular sexual health screening. We used a social norms and values framework to examine determinants of access to healthcare, with specific attention to sexual healthcare. Methods We draw on cross-sectional mixed methods research in Kenya and Rwanda that examined the lived experiences of sexual and gender minorities in access to health services. A cross-sectional quantitative survey in Rwanda (n = 499) and Kenya (n = 1,550) was conducted with LGBT people. We conducted key informant interviews (n = 81), in-depth interviews (n = 48), digital storytelling (n = 3), and focus group discussions (n = 30). We used a mixed-methods thematic and content analysis to integrate quantitative and qualitative findings. Findings Accessibility and quality of care were the main barriers to healthcare services. The results indicate widespread discrimination and stigma toward LGBT people in service provision. Approximately half of the survey participants, 47%, reported challenges accessing health services, and 25% indicated they experienced discrimination in healthcare. Qualitative results link low quality of care to stigma and discrimination. “Mostly at the hospitals, there are times people take too much time discussing who we are instead of giving us the treatment we seek, and send us to mental health to first deal with our sexuality issues since they think it is a ‘sickness.’” (Focus group, Muhanga, Rwanda). Our study highlights challenges in navigating sexual healthcare in government, faith-based, and donor-funded health facilities. Conclusions Access to healthcare services, particularly sexual health screening and prevention, is a growing issue for LGBT people in Kenya and Rwanda. Stigma acts as a significant barrier to high-quality healthcare. Sensitivity training and educational opportunities for healthcare professionals are urgently needed to address stigma.

Digital Storytelling for People With Cognitive Impairment Using Available Mobile Apps: Systematic Search in App Stores and Content Analysis.

Growing evidence suggests cognitive and social health benefits can be derived from digital storytelling for older adults with cognitive impairment. Digital storytelling apps offer the potential to serve as an on-demand, easy-to-access platform for enhancing cognitive abilities and promoting social well-being. Yet, despite the increasing quantity of such apps being available on the market, there is a gap in research investigating their quality. This app review aims to assess the digital storytelling apps available in the Chinese market and evaluate them in accordance with the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). The goal was to identify key features and evaluate the overall quality in the context of cognitively impaired users. A systematic search was conducted in both the Google Play store (Google LLC) and iTunes store (Apple Inc), using English and Chinese keywords. Apps were chosen according to specific criteria that included features, including (but not limited to) memory capture, story saving, cue-based reminiscing, and the ability to share stories or memories with others. The MARS was used by 3 individual researchers to independently assess app quality across several domains, such as engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality, for both Android and iOS apps. From an initial screening of 297 apps, only 9 (3%) met the criteria for detailed evaluation using MARS. The reviewed apps featured capture memory, save, reminisce, and share functions, which are critical in supporting cognitive functions and enhancing user engagement. The analysis revealed patterns in platform diversity and geographical distribution of developers, with apps available on both iOS and Android. Memoirs of Life and Memorize: Diaries, Memories, Notes, Ideas, Timelines, Categories (Fair Apps Mobile) had the highest mean MARS scores of 3.35, indicating strong engagement, functionality, and information quality, while the lowest score was 2.33. The overall mean score across all apps was only 3.03 (SD 0.60), highlighting significant variation, particularly in information quality. User feedback also showed considerable variability, ranging from 0 comments for apps such as Grand Storyteller (VarIT Inc) and PWI Storyteller (Project World Impact, LLC) to as many as 5361 comments for FamilySearch, which received extensive positive reviews. This wide range of user feedback underscores the importance of continuous improvement and user-centered design, particularly in enhancing information quality and content accuracy. The systematic search and evaluation highlight the diverse capabilities yet variable quality of digital storytelling apps available within the Chinese market, reflecting user experiences, satisfaction levels, and efficacy in supporting cognitively impaired users. While some apps excel in engagement and functionality, others need significant improvements in information quality and user interface design to better serve those with cognitive impairments. Future research is recommended to investigate regional limitations and features that would result in more inclusive and effective digital storytelling apps.

Examining The Impact of Digital Story-Based Learning on English Four Skills for Young Learners

Currently, using technology is meaningful and brings lots of changes to our lives as human beings. Especially in the education process, technology has supported the education progress of teachers and students. Combining and applying technology in teaching-learning processes, especially in education technology, has an essential effect on the teaching process. Introduce technology and its part to the students expected to help them improve their ability and support their development. Technology in education, including the digital form, brings the students a new way of fun learning. This study explores the impact of using digital stories in English four skills learning for young learners. The research was obtained by doing a literature review of the impact of digital stories on young learners. A current research study indicates the effects of digital stories on the development of the four English skills of young learners. The current research findings show that digital stories impact students' writing skills, including grammar and ideas or content of written stories.

Smartphones: A Catalyst for Tobacco Control Training in India

The tobacco crisis confronting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires scale-up of effective tobacco control programs, such as Tobacco Free Teachers-Tobacco Free Society (TFT-TFS). We previously demonstrated the efficacy of TFT-TFS in increasing tobacco use cessation among teachers and schools’ adoption of tobacco control policies in Bihar, India. To scale TFT-TFS, we are now pioneering a smartphone-based mobile learning strategy to train principals (or their designees) in Madhya Pradesh to implement and monitor TFT-TFS in schools. Research underscores the transformative potential of mobile learning: a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to in-person training methods. Our study is a unique opportunity to test a training approach that could have implications for wider and more efficient delivery of other public health programs. The strategic use of gamification and digital storytelling enhances the TFT-TFS mobile training app. Gamification mechanics—including points, leaderboards, and digital badging—foster a dynamic learning environment to enhance learning outcomes. This approach propels continuous participant engagement toward understanding and implementation of TFT-TFS’s six monthly themes and four program components. The TFT-TFS smartphone training program weaves in elements of Indian culture, notably the symbolic use of colors and kites. The Indian kite festival celebrates communal harmony through healthy competition. Similarly, the app employs the idea of school kites, which are divided into six blank segments corresponding to the TFT-TFS monthly themes. Participants navigate each module, engaging with animated videos, digital assessments, and interactive activities. Upon a principal’s successful completion of each monthly theme’s program components, the school’s kite receives a new color, unlocking the subsequent theme. The TFT-TFS smartphone training showcases a unique interactive mobile learning application that integrates gamification and tests how to scale up an effective tobacco control program in schools in India and other LMICs. The TFT-TFS smartphone-based training app may also have relevance to other public health-related training efforts in resource-constrained areas.

Digital storytelling as a tool for global citizenship and sustainability

In this study, we explore the transformative impact of digital storytelling in education, with a focus on promoting global citizenship and sustainability awareness among students. We examine how digital storytelling platforms can enhance traditional literary curricula by fostering deeper cross-cultural understanding and engaging students with global sustainability challenges. We evaluate the effectiveness of digital narratives in increasing student engagement with literature while cultivating a sense of global responsibility and environmental stewardship. By enabling students to connect with diverse cultures and global issues through immersive and interactive storytelling, the research highlights the role of innovative educational strategies in aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The findings provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to leverage digital technologies in fostering a globally aware and responsible generation, ultimately contributing to the discourse on the integration of technology in education.

Enhancing Algorithmic Thinking Skills through Phygital Games: The Case of Space Codyssey

This paper presents an educational phygital game, Space Codyssey, aiming at cultivating the algorithmic thinking skills of young children. Space Codyssey is a phygital game, and its contains programming activities for the Sequence, Repetition, and Selection Structures, as well as Code Debugging activities (Debugging). The game utilizes Augmented Reality technology to present missions via QR cards. Additionally, digital storytelling is used as a means of assistance and teaching for preschool and early primary students. In the game, reading skills are not a prerequisite, and programming is accomplished using symbolic commands through a "Visual Programming Language." The participatory design methodology that was adopted, involving 28 educators from various specialties, reflects a holistic approach to the development of educational technologies. This interdisciplinary collaboration allowed for the integration of diverse pedagogical perspectives, ensuring that the game meets the multifaceted needs of modern education. The paper highlights the educational goals and learning outcomes for the designtated age group. It presents the scenario, the subject, the elements of the game, the rules, and the game mechanics. It also describes the implementation stages and the development of the application. Finally, it presents the results from a study, which involved 28 educators and aimed to improve the game before its use in educational settings.

Integration of Digital Repositories and Spatial Design within the Metaverse: the Evaluation of Features and Narratives to set Learning Environments on Cultural Heritage

Abstract. The Metaverse is rapidly advancing across cultural, professional, and service sectors, enhancing data compatibility and interaction. Its architectural design supports both visual interaction and information layers, characterising an ideal platform for the promotion of Digital Heritage. The digitisation of Cultural Heritage and the creation of Digital Repositories find complementarity in the Metaverse, which enables social interactions between Digital Heritage contents and virtual communities. This integration is pivotal for developing Learning Environments, where accessible virtual products can be combined with original digital storytelling and narratives.The paper presents methods and results from an Erasmus+ international school, which focused on using digital communication and 3D modelling tools to create immersive narratives on Mediterranean architectural modernity. Students from various Cultural Heritage disciplines designed virtual exhibitions within the Metaverse platform Spatial and open repository materials. The research concentrated on the application of Metaverse platforms for their spatial design and educational utility within the Heritage sector. The activities included developing digital narratives and interactive exhibitions enriched with multimedia data from digital repositories. The study discusses the limitations of customising visual materials, the importance of repository connections, user experience design, and the potential for future developments in Metaverse applications for Cultural Heritage learning environments and storytelling.

How can we do authentic co-construction with autistic secondary pupils?

Purpose of the research: Co-constructed digital storytelling methods have the potential to provide authentic children’s perspectives for planning health and education support. The Our Stories project investigated how this method can be applied with autistic children and young people (CYP). A year-long sub-project supported four autistic CYP in a mainstream secondary school in the UK to create short videos illustrating how they manage their sensory and emotional experiences during the school day. The CYP were supported by a member of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities team, a specialist autism teacher, a researcher, and filmmakers from a disability-led community interest company. This paper reflects on how we can authentically co-construct digital stories with autistic secondary pupils. Major findings: We identified two broad messages for genuinely participatory research. The first was how the structure of sessions changed, from an initial assumption of imposing structure to achieve the research aims to the negotiation of a messy, more fluid means of working to suit the CYP’s needs and wishes. Second was a change in the intended purpose of the stories, from a product to support reflection and understanding about emotional regulation, to each CYP’s own unfolding of purpose. Conclusion: We draw out general implications for co-construction in participatory research in terms of awareness of how to work with power relations in ways that keep the young person at the centre of analysis, and which recognise the need for space for CYP to construct their own meanings.

Navigating the Digital Marketing Field: The Role of AI and Emotional Storytelling in Consumer Engagement

This study explores the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital storytelling in marketing. By focusing on how AI-driven techniques can enhance emotional attachment and influence consumer behavior. With the rapid advancement of AI, its integration into marketing strategies has become crucial. Particularly for personalizing consumer experiences and enhancing brand narratives. This study investigated the role of AI in creating emotionally engaging narratives, a largely unexplored area in marketing and advertising. The study is motivated by the need to understand the dynamics between AI-driven techniques and emotional attachment in digital marketing. The paper hypothesizes a significant relationship between consumers’ emotional attachment to brands and purchasing behavior. A mixed-methods research approach was employed by combining a survey with interviews to test this hypothesis. This study assesses how emotional attachment, influenced by AI and storytelling, affects consumer purchasing decisions and brand loyalty in online shopping. It also evaluates the effectiveness of AI-driven storytelling techniques in digital marketing campaigns from the perspective of online consumers. Preliminary findings suggest more than 98% recall of story-based branding. More than 67% believe storytelling and emotional attachment may impact purchasing decisions. More than 89% of people recall a brand based on a particular story. While emotional attachment significantly influences consumer purchasing behavior, other factors also play a crucial role. This study reveals that AI’s role in marketing is valued, but the essence of storytelling should remain grounded in human experiences.

Curiosity and Digital Stories: Exploring Preschoolers’ Behaviors

<p style="text-align:justify">Given curiosity’s fundamental role in motivation and learning and considering the widespread use of digital stories as educational tools from the preschool age, we pursued measuring preschoolers’ curiosity when interacting with digital stories. Using 129 toddlers and preschoolers as a sample, three groups (one for each class) were given different versions of the same digital story to listen to: interactive, non-interactive, and animated. Toddlers' verbal and nonverbal behaviors were utilized to quantify curiosity as a condition brought on by the app. The participants' verbal and nonverbal behaviors were recorded during the digital reading aloud. Every child's data was encoded at one-minute intervals to examine concurrent behavior, and the results were then compiled. The findings show that interactive presentation formats encourage more touching and language use but less noise production and that interaction and the creative use of hot spots in digital illustrations are key elements in piquing viewers' curiosity while contributing to the strengthening of the engagement to the activity and the cultivation of critical thinking, creativity, and imagination.</p>

Analyzing narrative contagion through digital storytelling in social media conversations: An AI-powered computational approach

Despite the growing popularity of digital narratives, research on digital storytelling and its spread through social media interactions remains limited. Inspired by the social contagion theory, we introduce the concept of narrative contagion—where a story shared by a person or organization prompts others to share their stories—and investigate its process and outcome in online cancer communities. Utilizing a large dataset of 849 Facebook posts, 47,291 comments, and 14,466 replies, our artificial intelligence (AI)-based computational analysis provides evidence for narrative contagion among individual users in organization-hosted cancer communities on Facebook. It also reveals different organizational message characteristics, such as emotional arousal, post topic, and request for storytelling, that affect user storytelling and emotional support in comments and replies. Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of digital storytelling and its collective dynamics in online communities.

The Application of New Media Marketing in Luxury Brand Communication

In the evolving landscape of luxury brand communication, this paper explores the transformative role of new media marketing in the dissemination and perception of luxury brands. Drawing insights from recent studies on social media impact on luxury consumption, it delves into how platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WeChat have reshaped consumer behavior, particularly among the affluent and aspirational demographics. The paper also investigates the alignment of advertising strategies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly focusing on women's empowerment, showcasing how luxury brands can leverage social responsibility to enhance their image and appeal. Strategies adopted by luxury brands in the new media era are analyzed, emphasizing the effectiveness of content marketing, influencer partnerships, and digital storytelling. Case studies highlight the success of brands like Gucci and Chanel in engaging audiences through innovative campaigns that blend heritage with modernity. An understanding of the nuances in different cultural contexts is crucial, as demonstrated by the need for sensitivity towards post-feminist ideologies in crafting messages of empowerment. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for luxury brands looking to optimize their new media marketing efforts. It suggests a balanced approach that integrates online and offline experiences, fosters community engagement, and prioritizes ethical and sustainable practices. By doing so, luxury brands can not only increase their market penetration but also contribute positively to societal goals, thereby ensuring long-term brand loyalty and relevance in an increasingly digital and socially conscious world.

The process of developing an augmented reality (AR) tool for knowledge translation on climate change-related experiences among youth in Kenya

This report details a qualitative methodological approach of developing an Augmented Reality (AR) tool which integrates digital storytelling for context-specific, accessible, scalable participatory research knowledge translation on climate-related sexual health experiences among youth (aged 16-25 years) in Kenya. AR, which engages audiences through virtual images overlayed on the real world in real-time, enhances learning and knowledge retention. This suggests the potential for using this increasingly accessible technology in knowledge translation, despite such use being understudied. Our AR tool meaningfully incorporates seven digital storytelling videos made by youth in Kenya through a study in 2023, to amplify youth voices while illustrating complex pathways between four climate-related factors (drought, floods, extreme heat, and excess winds) and three HIV vulnerabilities (gender-based violence, early marriage, and transactional sex). The aim of this paper is to describe the design of an AR tool for knowledge translation, youth empowerment, and health promotion, and to outline how it can be harnessed for sexual health and climate change education to inform future knowledge translation approaches with youth climate-affected issues.

“I am not that teacher”: Latinx teachers’ linguacultural experiences and transformative practices as resources for hope

ABSTRACT Current educational trends show an increasing number of Latinx students in the U.S. school system and a shortage of Latinx teachers who mirror their experiences. To better understand how to attract more Latinx teachers to the profession, we must better understand Latinx educators’ language and cultural experiences and teaching practices. For this reason, this qualitative study explores Latinx teachers’ linguacultural experiences and teaching practices through two exploratory case studies on Latinx educators who serve Latinx students. Data was collected through interviews, digital stories, and the teachers’ lesson plans to explore the participants’ linguacultural experiences and teaching practices. Findings revealed that teacher participants positioned themselves as opposite to “that teacher”, a prototypical monoglossic teacher who hinders and belittles the multilingual experience. By adopting translanguaging practices, they leveraged their students’ linguacultural experiences, creating a pedagogy for hope and resistance. The study will discuss implications for transformative practices and the need for teachers’ who support Latinx students in the U.S.

Pseudo-Scientist: Towards Narrative Interventions for Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome (IS) is a mental state that can severely inhibit a person's productivity and well-being. Although IS is extremely common (especially in high achievers, e.g., academics), few studies offer effective modes of support and recovery. In response, we introduce the application of relatable narrative as a way to help people overcome IS. We present a randomized group comparison study exploring the impact of various design factors -- specifically, choice-based interactivity and character relatability -- on our story's capacity to engage and impact 107 STEM undergraduates. Almost all participants enthusiastically endorsed the story as a valuable learning experience, and a majority reported positive impacts to mood and feelings of relatedness to peers. We discuss 1) how our specific digital story design can support positive changes in mental health at both individual and institutional levels and 2) how our findings can inform efficient design of interactive narrative content for educational applications.

The effect of digital storytelling on women's human papilloma virus awareness: Randomized controlled experimental study.

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the digital storytelling (DS) method in increasing human papilloma virus (HPV) awareness. The study was conducted in the gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinic of a state hospital between April and December 2023. The universe of the study consisted of women who applied to the outpatient clinic between these dates and volunteered. A total of 80 women who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study (n = 40 for each group). Data for the study were gathered using Personal Introduction Form and Human Papilloma Virus Knowledge Scale. Repeated measures ANOVA method was used to determine the difference between the pre-training, post-first training and post-second training measurement scores according to the intervention and control groups. For significant ANOVA results, measurements with differences were compared pairwise using Bonferroni correction. All statistical analyses were examined at the p < 0.05 significance level. Socio-demographic characteristics and HPV awareness levels of women in the intervention and control groups were similar before training (p > 0.05). After the activity conducted with the digital story method in the intervention group, the HPV awareness levels of women in this group increased significantly (p < 0.05). Considering the development in each group, an increase in posttest scores is observed in both groups. However, when the increase amounts in each group in the intervention and control groups were examined, it was determined that all awareness levels increased more in the intervention group. In the intergroup comparison, it was determined that the mean measurements of general HPV knowledge, general HPV vaccine knowledge, and knowledge of the current HPV vaccination program of women in the intervention group at the first and second follow-ups after the training were higher than those in the control group. The DS method was effective in raising HPV awareness given to the intervention group. Health professionals and researchers can benefit from DS in providing health education and consultancy services such as HPV awareness.

Digital Stories and Inclusive Cultures at School: A Research Study in an Italian Primary Multicultural Classroom

This study explores the effectiveness of digital storytelling in enhancing communicative competence—encompassing both linguistic and narrative skills—and fostering inclusivity in a multicultural primary classroom in Genoa, Italy. The quasi-experimental intervention spanned four months and involved eight lessons designed to engage students from diverse cultural backgrounds, particularly those with migratory backgrounds. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted to evaluate linguistic proficiency, narrative competence, and educational inclusion. The results from the Italian language proficiency test demonstrated that second-generation students typically performed at the B1 level, while students with more recent migratory backgrounds scored lower. However, narrative competence showed notable improvements among A2+ level students, who outperformed their peers in certain dimensions despite linguistic challenges. Observational rubrics used throughout the intervention revealed increased classroom inclusivity, active participation, and cultural exchange. Despite limitations related to the sample size and intervention duration, the findings suggest that digital storytelling can significantly enhance communicative competence and promote a more inclusive classroom environment. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of digital storytelling on multilingual classrooms and its broader applicability.

Young People’s voices on social justice: a participatory storytelling and action learning approach

ABSTRACT South Africa is home to a large youth population, defined in South Africa as aged between 18 and 34 years. In working to transform our unequal society, we need to take diverse youth voices, including young people at university, into account regarding what matters to them. To enable their voices, the paper recounts a participatory storytelling research project with students in the educational space of one South African university. Using individual and collective digital storytelling, participants produced an archive of everyday stories, which then comprised a data base for them to analyse social in/justice issues and themes and co-create knowledge from the ground-up, with their emergent ideas categorised in a social injustice map. Through the iterative action learning and reflective process, participants developed their critical awareness of injustices and enhanced their sense of their own epistemic agency to contribute to change. Both the project process and the formation of intersecting capabilities for the co-creation of substantive reparative knowledge about social injustices and fairness were advanced through the project. Finally, it is suggested that these two capabilities might be applied to young people globally as crucial for contributions to epistemic agency and for making more just future societies.

Weaving narrative threads with social psychological processes: Narrative modulations in online consumer reviews of a medical memoir

With the growing prevalence of health and illness narratives on digital platforms, research examining the social psychological processes involved in these storytelling environments remains scarce. This paper addresses this research gap by conducting a mixed-methods study of digital storytelling within the UK’s healthcare context, focusing on online consumer reviews of the medical memoir, Do no harm: stories of life, death and brain surgery (Marsh, 2014). Utilising computer-assisted text analysis methods of LIWC-22 and the Sketch Engine, linguistic cues for cognitive, affective, social and perceptual processes are identified in a corpus of online consumer reviews. A subsequent qualitative analysis, based on ‘narrative modulation’ (Huang, 2024, 2020), investigates the role of these processes in constructing and developing storylines across the user reviews. Finally, the study explores how consumer reviews in the form of ‘small stories’ challenge canonical narratives in the UK’s healthcare services. This research advances the field of narrative studies by emphasising the role of social psychological processes (Chung and Pennebaker, 2019) in modulating emerging, evolving and counter narratives in digital storytelling. The findings reveal an instrumental role of social psychological processes, as signalled by linguistic cues, in shaping narrative threads in online user reviews. This study not only develops narrative modulation as a valuable concept for narrative analysis, but also underscores its effectiveness when combined with computer-assisted text analysis tools for in-depth examinations of narrative data. Furthermore, it provides critical insights into digital storytelling in healthcare contexts, promoting knowledge transfer across narrative studies, stylistics, social psychology and medical humanities.

Reimagining anti-racist translingual pedagogy through multilingual international students’ digital counter-storytelling practices

ABSTRACT Informed by the current scholarly conversations surrounding linguistic racism, this paper investigates anti-racist translingual practices within the context of a college multilingual writing classroom. Fusing translingualism and critical race theory, the paper underscores the significance of translingual digital storytelling as a critical and creative practice of counter-storytelling. Based on a case study of the translingual digital stories created by nine multilingual international students, the paper explores the potential of these stories in combating linguistic racism and inferiority complexes. I begin by framing the issue of linguistic racism within multilingual education, emphasizing the perils of racial marginalization and discrimination experienced by multilingual international students. I then explore how the multilingual students in this study have utilized a range of linguistic repertoires and multiple modalities to document and resist their lived experiences with race and racism. Based on my analysis of the students’ digital stories, I conclude this paper with pedagogical implications for integrating translingual digital storytelling into anti-racist teaching and learning.