The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using digital storytelling into Turkish lessons on the reading comprehension skills of second-grade primary school students. With a pre-test and post-test control group, a quasi-experimental study design was used to achieve this. The sample of the study consisted of 70 second-grade students from two different classes in a primary school in Hatay, Türkiye. Each of these classes consisted of 35 students and they were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups. While the lessons in the control group were taught bases on current curriculum with written materials such as books and notebooks, the lessons in the experimental group were enriched with digital storytelling. The "Reading Comprehension Scale" (RCS) was applied as a pre-test and post-test for both groups. The analysis of data showed no statistically significant difference in the mean pre-test scores between the groups. There was an increase in the post-test scores of both the experimental group and the control group. However, the average post-test scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Furthermore, the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in the experimental group indicated that digital storytelling moderately improved students' reading comprehension skills. These findings suggest that digital storytelling is an effective tool for improving reading comprehension skills. Based on the results, it is recommended to expand the use of digital storytelling to better prepare students for a digitally oriented world and enhance academic performance. To maximise the benefits of such technologies, it is also advised to develop specialised digital materials, establish adequate technological infrastructure in schools, prioritise teacher training in digital tools, and promote collaboration with families.
Digital story, Digital materials, Instructional technologies, Materials, Reading comprehension