Narrative Skills Research Articles

Narrative coherence and mentalizing complexity are associated in fictive storytelling and autobiographical memories in typically developing children and adolescents

Different lines of evidence indicate that the ability to communicate narratives coherently is related to children's social-emotional development. However, it is unknown whether narrative coherence is genre-specific or generalizes across autobiographical memories and fictive stories, and if autobiographical and fictive narratives show different or similar associations with mentalizing language, cognitive functions, social and daily functioning. Addressing these questions may provide important clues about the development of narrative communication skills in children and adolescents. We assessed 86 typically developing children and adolescents aged 7–14, examining narrative coherence and mentalizing complexity in six autobiographical memories and five fictional stories, alongside intellectual functioning and parent and teacher reports on social and adaptive functioning. Results showed that the measures on narrative coherence and mentalizing complexity, respectively, were associated across autobiographical memories and fictional stories. Moreover, narrative coherence and mentalizing complexity was related to each other on both fictive and autobiographical stories. Higher narrative coherence and mentalizing complexity on autobiographical memories were specifically related to better social-emotional reciprocity reported by teachers, who likely have more opportunities than parents to observe the child’s daily interaction with peers. Our findings suggest that narrative coherence and mentalizing language in school-aged children generalize across genres. Being able to communicate personal narratives coherently with use of mentalizing language appears to be important for the social-emotional interplay of children and adolescents.

The Application Of Project-Based Learning (Pjbl) Model Through Series Picture Media As An Improvement Of Narrative Writing Skills Of Grade Iv Elementary School Students

Implementing Indonesian language learning in elementary schools, educators or teachers certainly have learning models that are suitable to the material to be delivered. This learning model is very important because with the right learning model it will trigger students to be active and creative. The Project Based learning model is a learning model that guides students to increase creativity in learning. The aim of this research is to determine students understanding in learning Indonesian through picture series media to improve the narrative essay writing skills of class IV students in the Indonesian language subject. This study used descriptive qualitative method. Data collection techniques use observation, interview and documentation. This results of the research show that the project Based Learning model is very suitable to apply to increase student creativity in learning Indonesian through the media of picture series. It was proven that out of 28 student, 5 student began to develop, 17 student develop according to expectations, 6 student developed very well. The conclusion is that the innovation conduct by Project Based Learning model through the media of pictures series has a great influence on improving narrative essay writing skills in grade IV elementary school students.

Implementation of Learn to Play Therapy for Children in Special Schools.

Play is the primary occupation in childhood and fundamental to occupational therapy practice. To evaluate a play intervention in special school settings. Pre- and postinvolvement of a 7-mo play program. Four special schools in Victoria, Australia, for children with IQs < 70. Thirty-eight children with diagnoses including intellectual disability, autism, and global developmental delay, 7 teachers, 2 speech pathologists, and 2 occupational therapists. Learn to Play Therapy for 1 hr per week over a 7-mo period. Pre-post outcome measures included children's pretend play skills, language, social skills, emotional regulation, and academic competence. Mean age of 38 children (15 girls and 23 boys) at baseline was 5 yr 7 mo (SD = 0.46 yr). Results showed significant changes in children's pretend play (p = .03), ability to recall sentences (p = .02), social skills (p = .022), and academic competence (p = .012). Learn to Play had a large effect on children's narrative skills (d = 2.72). At follow-up, object substitution at baseline influenced expressive language (p < .001), narrative mean language utterance (MLU; p = .015), social skills (p < .001), and academic competence (p < .001); elaborate play at baseline plus time influenced social skills (p < .001); and elaborate play at baseline influenced narrative MLU (p =. 016), sentence recall (p = .009), and academic competence (p = .001). Embedding pretend play within practice positively influenced children's language, narrative, social, and academic skills. Plain-Language Summary: This study adds to the limited research on play-based therapy programs in special school settings for children with an IQ of less than 70. Children participated in Learn to Play Therapy, during which an occupational therapist, who has observed and assessed the child's play and understands the child's play abilities, played beside the child. Learn to Play Therapy is a child-centered therapy that is used to increase a child's ability to self-initiate and enjoy pretend play. The positive impacts of supporting the children's pretend play ability were highlighted by increases in their pretend play, language, social skills, academic competence, and narrative language after participating in Learn to Play Therapy in their special schools.

Vocabulary and expressive morpho-syntax in individuals with Down syndrome: Links to narration

BackgroundNarrative ability is crucial for social participation in everyday and school life but involves different language abilities such as vocabulary and morpho-syntax. This is particularly difficult for individuals who display both language and cognitive impairments. Previous research has identified productive vocabulary as a possible key factor for narrative performance in individuals with Down syndrome. Considering a close connection between lexical and morpho-syntactic performance within language acquisition and the distinct impairments that individuals with Down syndrome display concerning their morpho-syntactic skills, the nature of a relation between vocabulary and narrative skills under the influence of grammatical deficits requires further investigation. MethodsNarrations were obtained from 28 children and adolescents with Down syndrome (aged 10;0–20;1) using a non-verbal picture book. Narrative abilities were rated using the Narrative Scoring Scheme across seven narrative aspects (including macro- and microstructure). Vocabulary analyses and morpho-lexical context analyses including verb and conjunction enumerations, evaluation of verb position and MLU were conducted. Findings from the transcript analysis have been supplemented with data from standardized language measures evaluating expressive lexical and morpho-syntactic development. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors for narrative outcome in the participants with Down syndrome. ResultsLexical analyses revealed a high heterogeneity in production of subordinating conjunctions as a link between lexical and morpho-syntactic abilities. Comparisons of standardized and narrative data demonstrated differences in subordinate clause production depending on the elicitation setting. A multiple regression analysis identified the number of different verbs in the narrative task as the most significant predictor for narrative performance in individuals with Down syndrome. Discussion and implicationsThe findings of this study contribute to the knowledge regarding factors that influence narrative performance in individuals with language impairment. A differentiated verb lexicon can be identified as the key ability for reaching advanced narrative skills in participants with Down syndrome. These findings are of clinical relevance for therapeutic and educational support and contribute to an understanding of the relation between strengths in vocabulary and morpho-syntactic weaknesses in individuals with Down syndrome within communicative participation.

Instrumento MAIN para evaluar las habilidades narrativas en niños hispanohablantes con trastorno del desarrollo del lenguaje (TDL)

IntroductionDevelopmental language disorder (DLD) involves the impairment of one or more linguistic dimensions. It has been observed that these children present difficulties in oral narratives at the microstructure and macrostructure levels, although there is much disparity in the assessment tools used in research. The aim of this study is to assess the narrative skills of Spanish-speaking children with DLD by analyzing oral narratives in terms of narrative microstructure and macrostructure and phonological and morphological errors. MethodThe sample consisted of 24 children: 12 with DLD and 12 with typical development (TD) aged between 7 and 11years. They were administered CELF-5, Raven's 2, and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test to assess the level of linguistic and cognitive competence and the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN), a narrative assessment tool. These oral narratives were transcribed and analyzed with the CHILDES project tools and coded with the PREP-CORP system. ResultsStatistically significant differences were observed between both groups in the number of utterances, mean utterance length and number of events narrated, as well as in the frequency of morphological and phonological errors. ConclusionsOral narratives of DLD children using the MAIN tool are shorter and less detailed than those of TD, as well as with a higher number of phonological and morphological errors. Therefore, the MAIN could be a suitable clinical tool for the assessment of the narrative skills of DLD children.

A comparison of narrative abilities in Malay school-age typically developing children and children with developmental language disorder

ABSTRACT Research on narrative skills in the Malay language is scarce for both typically developing (TD) and children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD). This study examines the differences in narrative abilities of Malay-speaking school-age children with and without DLD. Fifteen Malay-speaking TD children and 15 children with DLD told four stories elicited using the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narrative (MAIN). Group comparisons were conducted in narrative production (story retelling and story generation) as well as in comprehension. We also examined the differences in both groups’ story complexity (e.g. the combination of goals (G), attempts (A) and outcomes (O)). General microstructure features such as the total number of words (TNW), total number of sentences (TNS) and total number of different words (NDW) were also investigated. TD children outperformed children with DLD in both narrative production and comprehension performances. TD children constructed a higher combination of G, A, and O components than children with DLD. Children with DLD frequently produced G, A, and O in isolation in comparison to TD children. In language productivity and lexical complexity, TD children had a significantly higher frequency in TNW and NDW than children with DLD, resulting in longer narratives and higher uses of different words than children with DLD. Distinct differences are found in the narrative profile of TD children and children with DLD. The results are relatively consistent with the findings of similar studies that utilised and adapted the MAIN in other languages. Clinical implications and recommendations are discussed.

Turkish Adaptation of the Test of Narrative Language for Use in Preschools

The purpose of this research is to adapt the Test of Narrative Language (TNL) to Turkish culture and to test its validity-reliability for Turkish children aged 60-72 months. The research was designed in general survey model. The sample included 240 five-year-old children attending a preschool in Konya city center in the 2019-2020 academic year. The TNL developed by Gillam and Peterson in 2004 was used to measure children's narrative skills within the scope of expressive and receptive language skills. The test includes six tasks in three formats (no picture, sequence pictures, and single picture) and two subtests (comprehension and narration). Content and construct validity analyses were performed to test the validity. Internal consistency, test-retest, split-half tests, and inter-rater consistency coefficients were calculated to determine its reliability. The results showed the Turkish adaptation of the TNL is a valid and reliable instrument to measure the narrative skills of 5-year-old Turkish children.

A medical school curriculum to foster the physician-patient relationship through narrative medicine.

e21015 Background: Narrative Competence is the ability to acquire, interpret and act on the stories of others.[1] Developing this skill can also improve health care practitioner’s sense of empathy and satisfaction with their work.[2] This study’s purpose is to evaluate the impact of a narrative medicine curriculum on medical students’ sense of connection to their patients and humanism in medicine. Methods: During the 2023 academic year, a narrative medicine assignment was introduced to the internal medicine oncology clerkship curriculum at the Yale School of Medicine. Third year medical students attended a training session on narrative medicine skills, interviewed a patient and wrote the patient’s story, and attended a session to read their written narrative. A survey was distributed to students asking for their reflections on the doctor patient relationship and the role of humanism in improving well-being and reducing burn out. Responses were de-identified and thematic analysis of responses was conducted. Results: 58 students participated in the training sessions and 11 (19%) completed a post-workshop free text survey with 5 questions reflecting on the doctor-patient relationship, the role of humanism in medicine, and the curriculum itself. Common themes that emerged include 1) how strong doctor-patient relationships makes medicine more meaningful, uplifting and enjoyable, 2) how seeking out a patient’s story is essential to the doctor-patient relationship and to optimal quality care, and 3) importance of doctor’s exhibiting care and sensitivity and placing diseases in context of their patients’ stories. Reflecting on the role of humanism in medicine, students reported that 1) taking the time to know your patients makes medicine rewarding, meaningful and worthwhile, 2) allows you to empathize and connect with patients more through recognizing their humanity and vulnerability and putting their frustrations in context, and 3) could be healing to both patient and provider. Further directions: Students suggested making the program mandatory, expanding to include pre-clerkship students and students on other clerkships, and providing more time and structure to facilitate interviewing patients and writing up their stories. Conclusions: A curriculum incorporating narrative medicine was effectively integrated and well-received by students and fostered an awareness of the rewards of listening to patient stories.

Comparative analysis of microstructures of narrative abilities in language-age-matched Tamil-speaking children with cochlear implants and typical hearing

In a unique exploration of narrative development among Tamil-speaking children, this study delves into the intricacies of linguistic expression, explicitly comparing the microstructure of narratives in two distinct groups: those with hearing differences (HD) and those with normal hearing. A total of 30 children were included in the study, with 15 children in each group, matched for language age between 3-5 years on standard language tests. The children were asked to retell a story they had listened to, and the obtained samples were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for various microstructural elements, including the mean length of utterances, total number of words, number of utterances, and number of different word types. The results revealed that children with hearing loss used fewer words and simpler sentences during retelling despite having the same language age as their peers. This highlights the importance of incorporating narrative assessment in standard language evaluations. Furthermore, the findings emphasise integrating narrative intervention into language intervention programs to enhance language productivity. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the narrative abilities of Tamil-speaking children with cochlear implants and underscores the significance of addressing narrative skills in language intervention approaches.

Autism Detection in Children: Integrating Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing in Narrative Analysis.

Despite the consensus that early identification leads to better outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), recent research reveals that the average age of diagnosis in the Greek population is approximately six years. However, this age of diagnosis is delayed by an additional two years for families from lower-income or minority backgrounds. These disparities result in adverse impacts on intervention outcomes, which are further burdened by the often time-consuming and labor-intensive language assessments for children with ASD. There is a crucial need for tools that increase access to early assessment and diagnosis that will be rigorous and objective. The current study leverages the capabilities of artificial intelligence to develop a reliable and practical model for distinguishing children with ASD from typically-developing peers based on their narrative and vocabulary skills. We applied natural language processing-based extraction techniques to automatically acquire language features (narrative and vocabulary skills) from storytelling in 68 children with ASD and 52 typically-developing children, and then trained machine learning models on the children's combined narrative and expressive vocabulary data to generate behavioral targets that effectively differentiate ASD from typically-developing children. According to the findings, the model could distinguish ASD from typically-developing children, achieving an accuracy of 96%. Specifically, out of the models used, hist gradient boosting and XGBoost showed slightly superior performance compared to the decision trees and gradient boosting models, particularly regarding accuracy and F1 score. These results bode well for the deployment of machine learning technology for children with ASD, especially those with limited access to early identification services.

The mouth of God: the impact of religious training on story recall in Tibetan Buddhists

ABSTRACT Numerous studies have indicated that religious systems have a profound impact on individuals’ perceptions, emotions, and cognitive processes. The current research investigates the effects of religious upbringing and training on story recall in Tibetan Buddhists, specifically focusing on the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. Based on the observation that the lineage of the Kagyu emphasizes a continuity of oral instructions passed on from master to student, we predicted that Kagyu monks would demonstrate a higher ability of recalling stories than Nyingma monks, even in a non-religious context. Supporting our theoretical perspective, the results showed that Kagyu monks recalled a significantly greater proportion of a folktale than Nyingma monks under the oral-presentation condition. However, the two groups of participants showed no significant differences in their story-recall performance under the written-presentation condition. These findings are consistent with the core values of the Kagyu tradition that gives central prominence to the oral dissemination of Buddhism teachings. This study presents the first empirical evidence for the notion that religious differences are associated with meaningful variations in narrative and memory skills for stories.

Intérêt d’une intervention de soutien langagier basée sur la narration et menée par l’enseignante auprès d’enfants de grande section de maternelle avec difficultés langagières.

Context: Narrative intervention enhances narrative abilities by addressing macrostructural elements within storytelling tasks for instance and can be an effective way of supporting the language development of preschool-aged children. Moreover, language support in educational settings plays a preventive role in addressing potential difficulties in language skills due to a lack of linguistic stimulation. Objectives: This study assesses the implementation fidelity of a tier 2 intervention with a pre-school teacher, measures the effectiveness of this intervention with children with language difficulties, and determines whether these children can catch up the level of narrative skills of the rest of the class, following the intervention Methods: Children with language difficulties were selected by the master student based on an inclusion test determining their linguistic profile, which was administered to all pupils in the class. Narrative skills were assessed for the entire class in a pre-test, considering elements of macrostructure and microstructure elicited during narrative generation and retelling activities. A Rapid Automa-tized Naming (RAN) control task was also included to evaluate the specificity of the intervention. The teacher was trained by the master student for the intervention, according to profession-al development principles. Subsequently, the intervention, lasting 45 minutes once a week for 6 weeks, was delivered by the teacher to five children identified as having language difficulties, aged 5;5 to 5;10. The intervention aimed to improve the number of macrostructural elements in a retelling activity through the use of icons and sequential picture stories. Finally, the RAN task and narrative skills (retelling and narrative generation) of the entire class were reassessed in a post-test. Results: At the end of the intervention, macro- and microstructural improvements were observed in the story generation activity in the experimental group. Moreover, following the teacher's intervention, the experimental group did not differ anymore from the rest of the class in retelling (when considering the trained story) nor in story generation. However, data analysis revealed weaknesses in the implementation of the intervention, both in content and dosage. Conclusion: The results contribute to the existing research supporting the effectiveness of group narrative intervention. Furthermore, they suggest the possibility of replicating a tier 2 indirect narrative intervention conducted by the teacher, by enhancing the professional development framework.

An Exploration of the Impact of Quality Illustrations in Children’s Picture Books on Preschool Student Narrative Ability

Narrative language development is one of the early literacy skills necessary for proficient reading and writing achievement. The correlation between narrative skills and later writing ability indicates that more advanced and complex narrative generation and recall is linked to later writing output. In this experimental study, 47 preschool students participated in an intervention focusing on the impact of high-quality illustrations on narrative ability. Results show a significant effect of intervention participation on narrative language measures in language complexity, narrative retelling, story comprehension, vocabulary usage, and episodic components. These findings suggest that attention to artistic devices used in illustrations paired with picture book study can increase student narrative ability

Analysis of the Chain-Mediated Effects of Narrative Care Skills and Evidence-Based Nursing Competencies between Clinical Nurse Core Competencies and Sense of Career Benefit

Background: To understand the current status of clinical nurses' narrative care skills and evidence-based nursing competence, and to explore their chain-mediated roles between nurses' core competence and sense of career benefit, so as to provide references for improving nurses' sense of career benefit and positively developing nursing teams. Methods: A general information questionnaire, narrative competence scale for healthcare professionals, evidence-based nursing competency scale, registered nurse core competency scale, and nurses' sense of career benefit questionnaire were used to survey 716 nurses, and the chain mediation model was constructed and tested. Results: The total evidence-based nursing competency score of clinical nurses was (65.53±9.17), which was at a moderate level. The total score of narrative care skills (113.57±18.52), the total score of nurses' core competence (179.15±33.37), and the total score of nurses' sense of career benefit (109.37±20.81) were in the middle level; narrative care skills and evidence-based nursing competence acted as chain mediators between nurses' core competence and their sense of career benefit, and the mediation effects were respectively 0.006, 0.014. Conclusion: Narrative care skills and evidence-based nursing competency were at intermediate level, and the chain mediating effect of narrative care skills and evidence-based nursing competency indirectly predicted nurses' sense of professional benefit. It is suggested that nursing leaders can carry out lectures and training courses to improve nurses' narrative care skills and evidence-based nursing competence, to promote nurses' sense of career identity and to create a good nurse-patient relationship, which will be conducive to the positive development of the nursing team in the modern healthcare environment.

Interprofessional delivery of Read It Again – KindergartenQ!: Classroom, educator, and child outcomes of an Australian pilot study

Purpose Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) indicates a concerning increase in the proportion of children who are at risk or developmentally vulnerable in the domains of communication and general knowledge, and language and cognitive skills. This study investigated the effectiveness of speech-language pathologist and educator collaboration to build educator capacity to promote oral language and emergent literacy skills in preschool children. Method A quasi-experimental, pre-test post-test design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of interprofessional delivery of Read It Again – KindergartenQ! on (a) children’s oral language and emergent literacy outcomes, (b) educators’ oral language and emergent literacy instructional practices, and (c) quality of the classroom environment. Result Children demonstrated improved print knowledge and narrative skills. One of the two educators demonstrated a significant increase in their use of oral language and emergent literacy promoting strategies in their day-to-day interactions with children. No significant changes were observed in the classroom environment. Conclusion Interprofessional collaboration with a coaching component is an effective method of improving children’s emergent literacy skills and educator instructional practices.

How Narrative Skills Associate With Peer Relations

Narrative skills are essential for children's social development. However, existing research primarily focuses on narratives' impact on children's cognitive abilities, with limited attention given to the relationship between narrative skills and peer interactions. This study aims to explore how oral and written narrative skills are associated with peer relations from a social perspective. 166 Chinese primary school children were randomly assigned to tasks of oral and written narratives, as well as peer nominations. Results indicate that grade 5 students performed significantly better than grade 3 students in both written and oral narrative tasks. Moreover, the level of written narrative proficiency surpassed that of oral skills. Significant interactions were also found among grade level, gender, and narrative modes. Crucially, narrative skills exhibited positive correlations with peer nominations, with stronger correlations seen for written narratives. These findings have important implications for narrative research and language instruction.

Language abilities and associated risk factors of school-aged children with cleft lip and palate.

Previous research on children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) reported unequivocal findings with regard to language skills, with the majority suggesting persistent difficulties in early childhood. While expressive language deficits improved with age, receptive language skills were consistently lower than peers. Further study investigating the long term and persistent impact of language deficits amongst school-aged children with CLP is warranted. This was a cross-sectional study, aimed to determine the language abilities and explore the associated risk factors in Malay speaking children with CLP in Malaysia. Fifty-two children with CLP aged 7- to 12-year-old participated in this study. Language skills were assessed using the Malay Preschool Language Assessment Tool and the adapted Subway-School-age Language & Assessment Measures. Findings revealed that 14 (26.92%) school-aged children with CLP demonstrated language deficits. Children with CLP performed significantly poorer in reading comprehension (p = 0.031) and narrative (p = 0.026) skills. It was found that the age significantly influenced total receptive language score (β = 0.421, p = 0.003) and total expressive language score (β = 0.477, p = 0.000). Findings suggested that children with CLP may continue to have persistent language deficits into their school-age years. Recommendations for regular monitoring of language performance especially for those from younger age groups is warranted to help maximize school attainment.

Speech Sounds Production, Narrative Skills, and Verbal Memory of Children with 22q11.2 Microdeletion.

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), the most frequent microdeletion syndrome in humans, is related to a high risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders. About 95% of patients with 22q11.2DS have speech and language impairments. Global articulation, story generation, and verbal memory tests were applied to compare articulatory characteristics of speech sounds, spontaneous language abilities, and immediate verbal memory between four groups of Serbian-speaking children: patients with 22q11.2DS, children with clinical presentation of 22q11.2DS that do not have the microdeletion, children with non-syndromic congenital heart defects, and their peers with typical speech-sound development. The obtained results showed that children with this microdeletion have impaired articulation skills and expressive language abilities. However, we did not observe weaker receptive language skills and immediate verbal memory compared to healthy controls. Children with 22q11.2DS should be considered a risk category for the development of speech-sound pathology and expressive language abilities. Since speech intelligibility is an instrument of cognition and adequate peer socialization, and language impairment in school-aged children with 22q11DS might be an indicator of increased risk for later psychotic symptoms, patients with 22q11.2 microdeletion should be included in a program of early stimulation of speech-language development immediately after diagnosis is established.

What else will I do when I start school? Preschoolers’ wh-questions in dinnertime conversations and their language development

While it is established that parental wh-questions, as a high-quality language input, are associated with child language outcome, less is known about the role of children’s wh-questions in their language development. This study examines whether children’s wh-questions during a dinnertime conversation are associated with their receptive and expressive language skills. The sample consists of a unique group of bilingual children: 32 Chinese preschoolers (aged 3–5 years) in Norway. At the onset of the study, parents self-recorded a dinnertime conversation with the target child and other family members present. Over the following year, we assessed children’s receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, and narrative skills in Chinese three times. Individual growth modeling revealed that concurrently, the density of children’s wh-questions was associated with children’s expressive vocabulary and narrative skills, but the association faded when controlling for family demographics. Significantly, even when accounting for all control variables, children’s wh-questions predicted their receptive vocabulary growth across one year. These findings underline children’s active role in shaping their language learning and development. This study also contributes to our understanding of bilingual children’s home language development. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The effects of using collaborative digital storytelling on academic achievement and skill development in biology education

AbstractThe purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of the use of digital storytelling on academic achievement, critical thinking dispositions, co-regulation, and narrative skills of 10th grade students. To this end, the study was conducted using a semi-experimental design with a convenience sample. The participants consisted of 64 students (33 in experimental and 31 in control group) who were studying in a high school. After the groups were trained, a two-week pilot study was conducted by forming collaborative groups among the students. This was followed by eight weeks of main implementation, during which students presented their projects to the class every two weeks. Following the digital story presentations in the experimental group, feedback was provided by the course instructor and peers. In addition, rubric scores were generated by the researchers for each digital story. Academic achievement test, critical thinking disposition scale, co-regulatory skills scale, and digital story evaluation rubric were used as data collection tools at the end of the process. Independent samples t-test, repeated ANOVA, and regression analysis were performed on the collected data. According to the results, digital story activities had moderate positive effects on students’ academic achievement and critical thinking, and high positive effects on co-regulation. In addition, the narrative skills of the students in the experimental group increased significantly over the weeks with a difference of 27.44 points. There was also evidence that storytelling ability was a significant predictor of academic achievement and that this ability increased significantly over the weeks. The results showed that the collaborative creation of a digital story by the students had a positive effect on their academic achievement and the development of their skills.