DIGITAL STORYTELLING AS A VOCABULARY ACQUISITION STRATEGY IN EFL SECONDARY CLASSROOMS: A MIXED-METHODS INVESTIGATION

Abstract

Vocabulary acquisition constitutes a critical yet frequently underserved dimension of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, particularly in secondary education contexts characterised by limited target-language exposure and predominantly form-focused pedagogy. Digital storytelling (DST) the practice of using digital tools to create short, multimodal narratives   has gained traction as an innovative pedagogical strategy that integrates technology with meaning-making processes. This mixed-methods study examines whether DST-based vocabulary instruction produces superior vocabulary acquisition outcomes compared to conventional vocabulary instruction (word-list memorisation and sentence-writing exercises) in a public secondary school EFL setting in Uzbekistan. Eighty grade-10 students (aged 15–16) were randomly assigned to experimental (DST, n = 40) and control (conventional, n = 40) conditions over an eight-week period. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed using a pre-test, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test (four weeks later) battery consisting of an adapted Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) and a productive vocabulary use task. Quantitative results indicated that the DST group significantly outperformed the control group on both immediate (d = 0.94) and delayed (d = 1.07) post-tests, with substantially smaller retention loss over the four-week interval (6.1% vs. 17.5%). Semi-structured focus group discussions and student learning journals provided qualitative evidence that DST enhanced contextual word learning, personal relevance, and multimodal encoding   factors theoretically associated with deeper lexical processing. These findings suggest that digital storytelling represents a pedagogically viable and motivationally effective approach to vocabulary instruction in EFL secondary contexts across Central Asia and beyond