Transforming Students into Digital Hakawati: Digital Storytelling in the AFL Classroom: Learners’ Attitudes and Recommendations

Abstract

In a small exploratory pilot study, Digital Storytelling was used to enhance language learning and engagement as part of an Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) program. Twenty-three AFL learners studying in a seven-week intensive Arabic summer program participated in the pilot study. Participants took a self-administered online survey that rated their experience creating digital stories in Arabic using three computer software programs and two iPad apps. The results of the pilot study suggest that Digital Storytelling (DS) can be an effective tool for enhancing Arabic instruction at multiple proficiency levels.