The Effectiveness of Digital Storytelling Through Storyberries to Enhance Students' Writing Skills in Narrative Text
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15642/ijet2.2026.15.1.90-100Keywords:
digital storytelling, EFL students, narrative text, Storyberries, writing skillsAbstract
This study aims to measure the effectiveness of using digital storytelling (DST) through the Storyberries platform in enhancing the narrative writing skills of junior high school students and to evaluate the impact of media use on their writing skills. This study employs a Quasi-experimental quantitative research method using a nonequivalent control group design. The participants were 8th-grade students at a middle school in Sidoarjo, with a total sample size of n = 59, including 32 in the experimental group and 27 in the control group. Students in the experimental group received instruction using DST via the Storyberries platform as a writing learning medium over five meetings. The control group, on the other hand, used traditional methods and did not utilize digital media. Data were collected through pre- and posttests and subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, the Mann-Whitney test, and effect size calculations. Based on the pretest and posttest scores, this study shows a significant difference (p < .001) with an effect size of 0.7, classified as large. These findings indicate that using DST via the Storyberries platform can be an effective way to develop students' writing skills, particularly in narrative writing. Therefore, integrating DST through the Storyberries platform is considered beneficial for EFL instruction and is recommended as an effective pedagogical strategy to increase student engagement in the classroom and enhance students' narrative writing skills.
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