Digital storytelling as a dual-purpose pedagogical tool for developing literacy proficiency and creative expression in Indonesian EFL writing classrooms

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of digital storytelling (DST) on EFL students’writing performance and creative thinking in Indonesian higher education writing classrooms. The topic was selected because Indonesian universities continue to face uneven access to technology, while EFL writing instruction still struggles to balance linguistic accuracy with opportunities for creative development. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, this study involved 120 students and 10 lecturers from six universities in East Java, Indonesia. The quantitative phase employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Students’ writing performance was assessed using Jacobs’ writing rubric, focusing on grammatical accuracy, lexical diversity, and textual coherence, while creative thinking was evaluated using adapted Torrance-based criteria that measured originality, elaboration, and fluency. The qualitative phase drew on semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and analysis of students’ DST artifacts to explain the quantitative findings. The statistical analysis results showed significant improvements in grammatical accuracy (d = 0.55), lexical diversity (d = 0.62), and textual coherence (d = 0.70). Students also demonstrated substantial gains in originality (d = 1.02), elaboration (d =0.95), and fluency (d = 1.10). Qualitative evidence further showed that storyboarding, iterative script revision, multimodal design, and peer feedback helped students refine language use while expanding creative responses. The findings also indicate that DST remains applicable across institutions when structured scaffolding is provided. These findings suggest that DST can serve as a meaningful pedagogical approach for strengthening writing performance and creative thinking in resource-diverse EFL contexts.