The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the impact of digital storytelling technology on creative thinking and communication skills of primary school students in bilingual areas of Sosengard city. The current research design was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with control and follow-up groups. The statistical population of this research was all the sixth grade elementary students of Sosangerd city. Sampling was done in an available manner; The sample included 20 people who were randomly placed in two groups (experimental group of 10 people and control group of 10). The research tools included Peter Hani's Creative Thinking Questionnaire (2014) and Manjemizadeh's Communication Skills Questionnaire (2014). To analyze the data in this research, descriptive and inferential statistics methods were first used. The results showed that there is a significant effect between the experimental and control groups in the components of creative thinking (p=0.003), in other words, the difference between the scores of the two groups indicated that digital storytelling technology on creative thinking (expansion, flexibility, initiative and fluency) of students has been effective. Also, the results showed that there is a significant effect between the experimental and control groups in the components of cooperation, assertiveness, restraint and behavioral skills (p=0.001). It can be concluded that digital storytelling technology can strengthen communication skills and creative thinking.
Keywords: Creative thinking, communication skills, bilingual students' essay, digital storytelling.
 
Introduction:
Language acquisition and development are pivotal in children’s cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Mastery of language skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—enables children to engage meaningfully with their environment, facilitating learning and communication. However, in bilingual communities where the mother tongue differs from the official or instructional language, children often face unique linguistic challenges. These challenges can hinder their academic achievement and social integration, particularly if they receive formal education primarily in a language different from their home language. Susangerd County represents such a bilingual region where students predominantly speak a local dialect at home but attend schools where Persian is the medium of instruction. Research indicates that traditional storytelling is a powerful educational tool that fosters language skills and social development in children by enhancing vocabulary, imagination, and critical thinking. With the rise of digital technology, storytelling has evolved into digital storytelling—a method that integrates multimedia elements such as audio, visuals, and interactivity to create immersive narratives. Digital storytelling has shown promise in engaging students, stimulating creativity, and improving communication abilities. This study aims to evaluate the impact of digital storytelling technology on the creative thinking and communication skills of bilingual sixth-grade students in Susangerd County, thereby providing insights into innovative pedagogical strategies that address bilingual education challenges.
Materials and Methods:
The study was designed as a semi-experimental investigation employing a pretest-posttest control group design. The target population comprised all sixth-grade bilingual students in Susangerd County during the 2021–2022 academic year. Due to logistical constraints, a convenience sampling technique was employed to select a total of 20 students, who were then randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=10) or a control group (n=10). The experimental group received instruction incorporating digital storytelling technology over a defined intervention period, while the control group continued with traditional teaching methods without exposure to digital storytelling. Two standardized questionnaires were utilized to assess the dependent variables: the Peter Honey Creative Thinking Questionnaire (2005), which measures four components of creative thinking—elaboration, flexibility, originality, and fluency—and the Monjami Zadeh Communication Skills Questionnaire (2012), which evaluates communication skills across four dimensions—cooperation, assertiveness, self-control, and behavioral skills. Data collection occurred at two points: prior to the intervention (pretest) and following the intervention (posttest). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics, specifically paired-sample t-tests and independent-sample t-tests, to compare pretest and posttest scores within and between groups. The significance level was set at p < 0.05.
Discussion and Results:
Analysis of the data revealed significant improvements in both creative thinking and communication skills in the experimental group compared to the control group. Specifically, the experimental group showed marked gains in all four components of creative thinking. Scores on elaboration—reflecting the ability to expand ideas in detail—significantly increased (p=0.003), suggesting that digital storytelling stimulated students’ capacity to develop complex and vivid narratives. Flexibility, the skill to approach problems and ideas from multiple perspectives, also improved substantially, indicating enhanced cognitive adaptability. Originality, which measures the novelty of ideas, showed significant enhancement, revealing that the multimedia storytelling environment encouraged innovative thinking. Fluency, or the ease of producing ideas, similarly increased, demonstrating a boost in students’ ability to generate multiple concepts quickly.
Communication skills also improved significantly in the experimental group. Cooperation, or the ability to work effectively with others, was enhanced, likely due to the collaborative aspects of digital storytelling projects. Assertiveness, reflecting confidence in expressing ideas and feelings, increased, possibly due to the empowering nature of creating and presenting personal stories through digital media. Self-control, indicating regulation of emotions and behaviors, showed improvement, which could be attributed to the structured and interactive learning environment provided by the technology. Behavioral skills, encompassing appropriate social behaviors and responsiveness, also increased, highlighting the role of digital storytelling in social skill development.
The control group did not exhibit significant changes in either creative thinking or communication skills, underscoring the positive effect of the digital storytelling intervention. These findings align with previous research demonstrating that integrating multimedia storytelling in educational settings enhances language acquisition, creativity, and social skills. Digital storytelling’s multimodal approach offers diverse sensory inputs and interactive opportunities that traditional methods lack, making it particularly effective for bilingual students who may struggle with language barriers.
Conclusion:
The present study demonstrates that digital storytelling technology is a valuable pedagogical tool that significantly enhances creative thinking and communication skills in bilingual elementary students. By merging traditional storytelling with modern multimedia elements, digital storytelling creates an engaging and motivating learning environment that encourages students to express themselves creatively and interact socially. These improvements are crucial for bilingual students who face challenges adapting to a school language different from their mother tongue. Incorporating digital storytelling into bilingual education curricula can bridge linguistic gaps, foster academic success, and support socio-emotional development. Educational policymakers and teachers are encouraged to adopt digital storytelling as a complementary teaching strategy, particularly in bilingual and multicultural contexts. Future research should explore long-term effects of digital storytelling interventions and its applicability across different age groups and educational settings.