Integrating Lombok’s Cultural Heritage through Digital Storytelling to Enhance EFL Students’ Speaking Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v12i2.18168Keywords:
Digital storytelling, Cultural heritage, EFL speaking skills, Local culture, Indonesian EFL studentsAbstract
Many EFL learners experience difficulty speaking fluently and confidently, particularly in assessment-driven learning environments. This study examined whether digital storytelling grounded in Lombok’s cultural heritage could enhance students’ speaking performance and influence their affective outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods one-group pretest–posttest design, the study involved 15 undergraduate students who participated in a four to five-week instructional intervention. Speaking performance was evaluated through digital storytelling tasks using a five-aspect analytic rubric encompassing fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and closing remarks. To capture learners’ experiences, qualitative data were gathered from reflective journals, focus group discussions, and field notes. The results demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all speaking dimensions. Fluency showed the greatest gain, followed by vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and closing remarks. Qualitative findings indicated that these improvements were supported by iterative rehearsal cycles, increased audience awareness, and culturally grounded inquiry, which facilitated more accurate lexical choices, sustained engagement, and greater confidence. The study provides empirical evidence that locally anchored digital storytelling functions not merely as contextual enrichment but as a pedagogical design principle for speaking instruction. Theoretically, the findings are framed through an integrated perspective drawing on Communicative Language Teaching, Sociocultural Theory, and Self-Determination Theory. Pedagogically, the study recommends adopting culturally grounded digital storytelling as a core speaking cycle, supported by targeted focus-on-form activities and calibrated analytic assessment rubrics.
References
Akbaraliyevna, A. S. (2023). Studies on fluency and interaction in developing the students’ speaking skill. International Journal of Teaching, Learning and Education, 2(1), 6–9. https://doi.org/10.22161/IJTLE.2.1.3
Archana, S. (2025). Digital storytelling to enhance second language learners’ language proficiency through text, audio, images, and voice. Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities, 5(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.55544/IJRAH.5.2.1
Bai, Y. (2023). Fostering the ability of foreign language students in higher education to employ digital storytelling. Journal of Education Reform and Innovation, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.61957/JOERAI-20230106
Council of Europe. (2020). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing.
Daeli, T. A., Afore, A., Harefa, T., Maru’ao, N., & Harefa, A. T. (2025). Analyzing the students’ speaking skills through telling folklore in the English classroom. Edunesia: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 6(1), 151–170. https://doi.org/10.51276/EDU.V6I1.1076
Du, I.-I. C., Nguyen, T. M., & Le, T. N. (2024). Improving first-year English-majored students’ speaking skills through using digital storytelling. International Journal of Language Instruction, 3(2), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.54855/IJLI.24323
Durdas, A., Furmanchuk, N., Bondar, A., & Samar, O. (2024). Overcoming speech barriers at university foreign language classes. Continuing Professional Education: Theory and Practice, 81(4), 55–61. https://doi.org/10.28925/2412-0774.2024.4.4
Faryat, A. (2025). Developing speaking skills in Arabic learners who are non-native speakers: A descriptive and analytical study. Journal of Arabic Language Learning and Teaching, 3(1), 69–88. https://doi.org/10.23971/JALLT.V3I1.290
Fu, J. S., Yang, S.-H., & Yeh, H.-C. (2022). Exploring the impacts of digital storytelling on English as a foreign language learners’ speaking competence. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 54(5), 679–694. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1911008
Hafner, C. A., & Miller, L. (2019). English in the disciplines: A multidimensional model for ESP course design. Routledge.
Herdi, H., Eriyanti, R. W., & Huda, A. M. (2023). Teachers’ strategies in the classroom setting: Integrating local culture into English language teaching. ELT-Lectura, 10(2), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.31849/ELT-LECTURA.V10I2.15092
Itani-Adams, Y. (2021). Developing communicative capability in foreign languages through digital storytelling. Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature, 15(1), 53–70. https://doi.org/10.31436/ASIATIC.V15I1.2310
Itu Meo, F., Prasetya Dharma, Y., & Persada Khatulistiwa, S. (2023). Darling (digital storytelling) based on Dayaknese folklore to boost students’ speaking ability. EJI (English Journal of Indragiri): Studies in Education, Literature, and Linguistics, 7(1), 206–221. https://doi.org/10.32520/EJI.V7I1.2309
Kallinikou, E., & Nicolaidou, I. (2019). Digital storytelling to enhance adults’ speaking skills in learning foreign languages: A case study. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 3(3), 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/MTI3030059
Lee, J. S. (2020). Informal digital learning of English and strategic competence for cross-cultural communication: Perception of varieties of English as a mediator. ReCALL, 32(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344019000181
Luh, N., Yusniawati, P. I., & Lestari, Y. B. (2021). The potential of local culture in English language teaching (ELT): A response paper to domination of English material in ELT. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference on Education and Social Science (ACCESS 2020), 556, 318–320. https://doi.org/10.2991/ASSEHR.K.210525.098
Nair, V., Md Yunus, M., Aznar-Díaz, I., & Ortega-Tudela, J. M. (2021). A systematic review of digital storytelling in improving speaking skills. Sustainability, 13(17), 9829. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU13179829
Nambiar, R. M. K., Hashim, R. S., & Yasin, R. M. (2018). Impact of integrating local culture into language materials on communicative ability of Malaysian lower secondary learners. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature, 24(4), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2018-2404-02
Ngatu, S. P. K., & Basikin, B. (2019). The role of English as lingua franca–informed approach in English language teaching and learning to preserve cultural identity. PRASASTI: Journal of Linguistics, 4(1), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.20961/PRASASTI.V4I1.17060
Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.
Puspitasari, P. A. H., Damayanti, I. L., & Nurlaelawati, I. (2024). Investigating students’ speaking skills through traditional story-based digital storytelling into genre-based approach (GBA). Pedagogy: Journal of English Language Teaching, 12(2), 250–265. https://doi.org/10.32332/JOELT.V12I2.9784
Rutta, C. B., Schiavo, G., Zancanaro, M., Rubegni, E., & Kessler, B. (2021). Comic-based digital storytelling for content and language integrated learning. Educational Media International, 58(2), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1908499
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
Savignon, S. J. (2002). Communicative language teaching: Linguistic theory and classroom practice. In S. J. Savignon (Ed.), Interpreting communicative language teaching (pp. 1–27). Yale University Press.
Shrestha, K. N. (2016). Role of (local) culture in English language teaching. Journal of NELTA, 21(1–2), 54–60. https://doi.org/10.3126/NELTA.V21I1-2.20201
Tymoshchuk, N. (2025). Digital storytelling: Developing speaking skills in learning foreign languages. Baltic Journal of Legal and Social Sciences, 1, 64–72. https://doi.org/10.30525/2592-8813-2025-1-7
Tyrou, I. (2022). Undergraduate students’ perceptions and attitudes about foreign language-related digital storytelling. International Journal of Education (IJE), 10(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.5121/IJE.2022.10104
Yang, Y.-T. C., & Wu, W.-C. I. (2012). Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study. Computers & Education, 59(2), 339–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.12.012
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Rospin Hidayati, Marham Jupri Hadi, Anisa Nur’aini
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
License and Publishing Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities “tacitly or explicitly“ of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and publishing agreement.
Copyright
Authors who publish with Jo-ELT (Journal of English Language Teaching) Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Licensing for Data Publication
Jo-ELT (Journal of English Language Teaching) Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP use a variety of waivers and licenses, that are specifically designed for and appropriate for the treatment of data:
- Open Data Commons Attribution License, http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/
Other data publishing licenses may be allowed as exceptions (subject to approval by the editor on a case-by-case basis) and should be justified with a written statement from the author, which will be published with the article.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
1.jpg)
