Students’ perceptions of digital storytelling in online EFL classes with Zoom at a Japanese university

Abstract

This study reports on the results of students’ perceptions of Digital Storytelling (DS) in online classes enhanced with synchronous Zoom meetings. Two main problems were identified with remote English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses conducted primarily as asynchronous classes in spring 2020. Firstly, seven of the 64 participating students (10.9%) found the DS assignment very difficult. Secondly, there should be more opportunities for students to learn from others. In order to solve these problems, the courses in spring 2021 were enhanced with synchronous (90-minute) Zoom meetings held approximately every two weeks to increase interaction and support in the classes. The analysis of the post-questionnaires showed that there was a slight improvement, with only five out of 77 students (6.5%) reporting that they found the DS assignment very difficult; most students (92.2%) rated the difficulty level of the assignment as appropriate. Regarding learning from others, there were more positive responses from students in 2021.