Primary school students' experiences in developing digital stories on environmental issues: An action research

Children spend a lot of time on tablets and phones, mostly watching videos and playing games. These researchers asked whether that interest could be turned into active environmental learning, with students as the authors rather than the audience.

A researcher worked with 26 fourth graders at one primary school in Kırşehir, Turkey, for two class periods a week over seven weeks. Students first saw sample digital stories. They then formed five groups, and each group took one environmental topic linked to their curriculum:

• recycling
• using resources wisely
• the importance of plants and animals
• pollution
• notable local places

Groups wrote their stories on paper. They then used StoryJumper, a web-based tool for making illustrated digital storybooks, to design backgrounds and characters and to record voices. Each group presented its story to the class on the smart board. The researcher collected data through a short questionnaire, weekly observation notes and group interviews at the end.

What they found

1. Students organized themselves. Before writing, groups shared out the tasks of research, writing, design and voicing characters.
2. Some stages were hard. Students struggled most with researching their topic, finding an ending and recording voices. One said the beginning was easy but the end was hard. Another said their heart "felt like it was going to burst" during recording.
3. Favorite stages varied. Students named writing, research, designing characters and backgrounds, voicing, presenting and working with friends.
4. Students reported many gains. They mentioned environmental knowledge, new words, better imagination and writing, teamwork, a new digital tool, pride in their work and fun. Many wanted to make digital stories in other subjects, such as math, art and science.
5. Many said their view of the environment changed. Students described recycling paper, using water and paper carefully, turning off devices and learning about local places. One visited a local landmark with a parent after writing about it. A few in one group said nothing had changed because they already knew the material, though they enjoyed learning the tool and voicing.
6. The practical side was demanding. Absences and disagreements meant the stories needed an extra week. Desks had to be rearranged for group work. Students wanted to choose their own groupmates and topics, and some were unhappy when these were assigned. Some tablets couldn't connect to the school internet. Bells and people walking in disrupted the recordings.

What this means for your practice

• Link story topics to what you already teach. Each group's topic matched a curriculum goal, so the project covered required content while building writing and digital skills.
• Set clear roles from the start. Groups that divided the work got moving quickly. Confusion arose where roles were unclear, for example over who would present. The researchers recommend making sure every student has an active, distinct role.
• Plan extra time and practical support. The project ran a week over. The researcher introduced the tool to one group at a time in an empty classroom to avoid confusion, used a quieter room for recording, and brought spare devices and an internet connection. This shows what support a project like this may need.
• Consider letting groups choose their topic. Some students were frustrated by assigned topics and groups. The researchers suggest that letting students pick topics within your learning goals would boost motivation. They also suggest online tools so groups can keep working outside class time.
• Build in a sharing moment. Students valued presenting and learning from other groups' stories. The researchers suggest adding peer feedback to improve the final products.