Digital Storytelling as an Innovative Approach to Enhance Learning Mandarin as a Second Language

Abstract

The present study shares the experiences of a Malaysian teacher who tried to enhance the teaching and learning of Mandarin through the use of digital storytelling (DST) in a learning Mandarin as Second/Foreign Language (SL/FL) context. Research studies have shown that DST which combines the art of storytelling with a variety of digital audio, video and multimedia images are effective in enhancing language learning in a variety of contexts. It has been shown to encourage and motivate students and at the same time enhances their communication, interpersonal and technology skills. However, studies that look into the use of DST to enhance the learning of Mandarin are still lacking which make this study relevant and timely. The present study shares the Mandarin teacher’s experiences in using DST as a project for a Mandarin SL/FL course. The findings were derived from his personal reflections and his students’ questionnaires and interviews were used to cross-verify the findings. The findings of the study demonstrated that the introduction of DST had enriched the teacher and students’ experiences in a variety of ways. Despite some shortcomings the Mandarin teacher was keen to continue using it for his classes.

Keywords

• digital storytelling
• Mandarin language teaching
• technology-integrated teaching methods