The role of digital storytelling in enhancing the speaking fluency of english as a foreign language (EFL) learners.

Abstract

This study determines the contribution of Digital Storytelling (DST) to improving speaking fluency in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) among secondary school learners in the canton of Manta, Ecuador, a Latin American context that remains underrepresented in DST research. The study adopts a mixed-methods research approach within a quasi-experimental design. The sample comprised 27 participants: 6 EFL instructors and 21 secondary school learners aged 13 to 17. Data were collected through pre- and post-intervention speaking tests, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a Likert-scale questionnaire, and were analyzed using SPSS for quantitative data and Atlas.ti for thematic coding, enabling triangulation. The DST intervention lasted twelve weeks. Qualitative findings identified speaking anxiety, limited vocabulary, and cognitive overload as the principal barriers to oral fluency, while structured storytelling tasks offering collaborative activities, gradual exposure, and iterative rehearsal addressed these barriers effectively. Quantitative results showed that every participant registered a positive fluency gain following the DST intervention, with a statistically significant mean improvement of 0.39 points (t(20) = −14.201, p < .001, Cohen's d = 3.09). It is concluded that Digital Storytelling provides integrated pedagogical scaffolding that simultaneously addresses the linguistic, cognitive, and affective dimensions of oral production, offering EFL teachers a practical, low-resource tool for fostering speaking fluency.