Developing Reflective Practice through Digital Storytelling: A Case Study of Pre-Service Teachers in Higher Education

Abstract

Digital storytelling is a multimodal learning approach in which learners combine spoken narration, written text, images, music, video, and other digital resources to communicate a personal, academic, or professional story. In teacher education, digital storytelling may help pre-service teachers connect educational theory with personal experience, develop digital competence, reflect on teaching practice, and communicate ideas creatively. This case study examined how a digital storytelling project influenced the reflective practice, digital literacy, and professional confidence of pre-service teachers.

A qualitative case-study design was used. The fictional case involved 28 pre-service teachers enrolled in a professional development course at a teacher-education institution. Over eight weeks, students created a three- to five-minute digital story about a meaningful learning experience and connected it to an educational theory or future teaching practice. Data were generated through student reflection journals, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, project drafts, and final digital stories. The illustrative thematic analysis identified four major themes: connecting theory with experience, developing digital confidence, negotiating creative and technical challenges, and strengthening professional identity. Students reported that the project encouraged deeper reflection and helped them communicate educational ideas in a personal and accessible manner. However, they also experienced difficulties related to script development, copyright, software use, time management, and balancing creativity with academic requirements.

The case suggests that digital storytelling can support reflective and multimodal learning in teacher education when students receive technical guidance, clear assessment criteria, access to appropriate resources, and sufficient time for revision. The case is fictional, and all data and findings are simulated for website and journal-layout demonstration purposes.