A History Lesson Designed with the Digital Storytelling Method: Kara Fatma Example

Abstract

Due to the reflections of the changes and developments in science and technology in the field of education, students need educational opportunities that can meet their changing learning needs. Based on this need, the main purpose of this study is to evaluate the digital storytelling process in history teaching and the contribution of this method to history teaching through the views of students. To achieve this goal, a history lesson about “Kara Fatma”, one of the heroines of the National Struggle in the 12th Grade Turkish Republic History of Revolution and Kemalism course, was designed using the digital storytelling method. A seven-week-long study was planned. The qualitative research method was used in the study. The study group consisted of 15 volunteer 12th-grade students. A semi-structured interview form was used to determine the evaluations of the students about the digital storytelling process, and a checklist was employed to evaluate students’ digital stories. The study data were analyzed with content analysis. As a result, it was found that students only used internet sources during the evidence search process, their knowledge of history was enriched with digital storytelling, and that they had difficulty eliciting material for their stories from a huge stack of information. It was concluded that this application contributed to making history lessons fun and could contribute to the presentation of brief and concise, but not long and boring, information and the use of critical thinking skills in lessons. Thus, it has been understood that digital storytelling may contribute to the development of historical literacy in students.