Introduction of Digital Storytelling in Preschool Education: a Case Study from Croatia

Authors

  • Nives Mikelic Preradovic Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
  • Gordana Lesin Public kindergarten Milan Sachs, Zagreb
  • Damir Boras University of Zagreb

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1344/der.2016.30.94-105

Keywords:

Digital Storytelling in Mathematics, Preschool Education, ICT-supported Learning, Formal Education

Abstract

Our case study from Croatia showed the benefits of digital storytelling in a preschool as a basis for the formal ICT education. The statistical analysis revealed significant differences between children aged 6 – 7 who learned mathematics by traditional storytelling compared to those learning through digital storytelling. The experimental group that used digital storytelling showed significant improvement in their abilities to solve computational and mathematical problems, which suggests that this method was age-appropriate and versatile. Also, the observations of educators from both the experimental and the control group showed that children were more motivated by digital storytelling, succeeding to complete all stories with an incredible amount of engagement and enthusiasm. These findings indicate that interactive multimedia storytelling, compared to the traditional one, can be used as an effective tool for improving child’s mathematical and computer literacy skills in the preschool context in which ICT is being introduced for the first time.

Author Biographies

Nives Mikelic Preradovic, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb

Department of Information and Communication Sciences,

Associate Professor,

Head of the Chair for Knowledge Organization

Damir Boras, University of Zagreb

Rector of the University of Zagreb

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Published

2016-12-15