The Impact of Digital Storytelling on Writing Development for English Language Learners in American Samoa

There have been studies done on digital storytelling as an educational approach, its usage in the classroom, and how it can be integrated with traditional storytelling methods. However, there are very few research studies about the use of digital storytelling to improve writing skills for ELL students, especially ELL students in the Pacific region where oral storytelling traditions are common.  It is important to understand how digital storytelling might be used for educational purposes to develop and improve ELL writing skills. Considering that poor writing amongst American Samoan ELL students has been a major problem in the primary classroom, it is the focus and purpose of this qualitative case study to examine the use of digital storytelling as a way to enhance writing skills of fifth grade ELL students in one classroom in American Samoa. The results of this study could help identify how digital storytelling influences ELL students’ writing and may be used by teachers and instructional designers to create effective strategies for using digital storytelling with ELL students to enhance their writing skills.