A Case Study on the Educational Effectiveness of Online English Content Using the Storytelling Learning Method: Focusing on Students’ Perceptions and Opinions

Abstract

This is a case study designed to determine the educational effect of online English content using the Storytelling Learning Method (SLM). The study focused on the course Learning English through Film offered by a cyber university in Seoul. A survey was conducted among 1,024 students from 86 universities who participated in the course. The course was based on the film <i>A Dog’s Way Home</i> (Smith, 2019) and followed the story of the film for 15 weeks over a semester. At the end of the semester, a survey was carried out to assess the following: 1) satisfaction with the online English learning content and improvement of English skills, 2) the effectiveness of SLM, and 3) students’ perceptions of their English skill improvement. The survey results revealed that 76% of the students found the SLM to be effective, and 92% expressed their interest and active participation in the course. In addition, 80% of the students reported that the online classes were more helpful in learning English, with listening and understanding context identified as the most improved language skills. These findings support the effectiveness of strategically structured course content utilizing SLM in terms of enhancing students’ motivation to learn and their academic achievements.