Digital Storytelling in Second and Foreign Language Teaching

Digital Storytelling in Second and Foreign Language Teaching offers a concise overview of the theoretical underpinnings, rationales, and related pedagogical implications of second and foreign language learning (S/FLL) through digital storytelling for those readers who want to begin experiencing this mode of teaching and learning. It provides educators and language teachers with a research-oriented, evidence-driven knowledge base of the current digital storytelling tools that are apt for learning/teaching different language skills at K-12, college, and university contexts, empirically assessing their effectiveness.

In addition to depicting a consolidated picture of digital storytelling (DST) for second and foreign language learning in theory and practice, the book helps readers gain a better understanding of the possible challenges and constraints against the effective integration of these tools for language learning purposes. In addition, case studies conducted in different contexts add to the existing body of research, providing researchers in the fields of language teaching and educational technology with an opportunity to benefit from research designs, findings, and methods. Further, the book expands readers’ knowledge base on students and teachers’ perception toward language learning by means of digital storytelling tools.

The implications discussed in different chapters of this book offer insights for the readers who are interested in conducting further research on this subject in other disciplines. As digital storytelling tools and presentation software which are specifically designed for educational purposes are becoming more accessible and widely applied, a nuanced understanding of how these tools should be best applied for educational purposes including language practice is becoming an imperative. The present publication aims at offering such an understanding, acting as a reference guide, and making DST a tangible instructional design for teachers, educators, learners, curriculum designers, and policy makers in the field of S/FLL and educational technology.

Fatemeh Nami holds a PhD in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) with a specialization in computer assisted language learning (CALL) from Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran. Currently, she is an assistant professor in the Department of Foreign Languages at Amirkabir University of Technology.