Wu Jing, Koo Hue Ling, Chow Fong Yee 

Abstract

The latest Mother Tongue Languages Review Committee Report by Singapore Ministry of Education in 2010 has identified communication, culture and connection as the three learning objectives. Authentic communication contexts and practical use of the language are emphasized in the mother tongue language learning. Great use of ICT is also recommended as an approach to achieve the objective of nurturing active learner and proficient users. In line with this, this research project aims to explore the impact of digital storytelling on the development of oral communication competence, particularly narrative competence. Narrative competence refers to the speakers' capability in organizing a series of events in certain orders and expressing them in oral forms. Narrative competence is a set of skills including language skills, cognitive skills (e.g. logic), emotional competence, and social cultural awareness. Our literature review on digital storytelling shows that digital storytelling has the potential to develop the narrative competence, such as a clear viewpoint, effective use of voice, and clear and rich description of events. We followed a group of primary 5 school students and examined how the 2 storytelling projects with software Photo Story have impacted on their learning. In this paper we report on the findings from the analysis of students' digital story artefacts and their feedbacks and comments in group discussion. This research project is an exemplary case of integrating ICT in language program. It may inform researchers in the field of digital storytelling as to how to design an ICT-integrated lesson for language learners. It may also provide useful information to researchers on how ICT has impacted on the students' learning.

Keyword(s) :   digital storytelling；narrative competence；information and communication technology