Empowering Palestinian Students: Overcoming English Speaking Barriers throughSamr Model-Inspired Digital Storytelling Based on Gaza Children's Stories during the War

Abstract

Nowadays, many educators seem to have overlooked the potential of incorporating media as a valuable instructional tool, as indicated by a study delving into the realm of digital-based learning resources. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the enhancement of students' speaking abilities through the integration of digital storytelling, utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative elements. The study involves sixteen 10th-grade students from Nabi-Saleh Secondary School, adopting a single group pretest-posttest design. A comprehensive speaking skill rubric, encompassing aspects such as pronunciation, grammar, word selection, speaking fluency, and overall content, was employed to assess students speaking skills throughout the research. In addition to quantitative measures, qualitative data, including student reflections and perceptions, were gathered through interviews and open-ended survey questions. The quantitative analysis revealed a significant value (2-Tailed) of 0.000 in the One Sample Test. The significance of less than 0.05 led to the rejection of the null hypothesis (H0) and acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (Hα), suggesting a notable improvement in students' speaking abilities through the integration of digital storytelling. According to the SAMR approach (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition), digital storytelling has become an essential instrument for encouraging students' unique ideas and creating a lively and stimulating learning environment. This redefines the entire learning process, going beyond simple replacement. The introduction of the SAMR model contributes additional insights into the transformative role of technology in education. This research not only highlights the quantifiable improvements in speaking skills but also delves into the qualitative aspects of students' experiences with digital storytelling. It emphasizes the importance of adapting digital media to cater to students' needs, presenting it as an innovative teaching tool in the classroom. To enhance the study's relevance to current events, a suggestion is made to incorporate narratives that resonate with the lived experiences of Palestinian children facing the challenges of the Gaza-Israel war. Including stories that showcase their resilience and strength in adversity can significantly engage students, connecting the study to impactful narratives emerging from Gaza.