Using Digital Storytelling to Teach Psychology: A Preliminary Investigation

Abstract

Digital storytelling is a technology application that has emerged as a powerful teaching and learning tool that engages both teachers and students. Digital storytelling allows students to become creative storytellers through selecting a topic, conducting research, writing a script, and developing the story. However, the use of digital storytelling is absent from the teaching of psychology literature. This preliminary investigation was based on Wann’s 1993 study, in which he had students in a social psychology class select a classic experiment from a list, develop a script, and perform the play in class. I modified his technique such that students, instead of performing plays, used digital storytelling. Students completed a multiple-choice pretest and posttest to assess their knowledge about the experiments chosen. They also completed an assignment evaluation survey. The results demonstrated that students’ knowledge about their classic experiment and the classic experiments of their classmates increased significantly. The evaluation survey showed that the students believed that the assignment was enjoyable, an interesting learning experience, hard work, and fun.