The Effect of Digital Picture Storytelling (PST) on Improving Young Iranian Learners’ Foreign Language Oral Production

This study focuses on the development of speaking skills in young Iranian learners and its contribution to the achievement of adequate oral production. It was conducted in a foreign language institute in Tabriz, Iran. Some 18 language teachers and 272 learners took part in the study.  The learners were selected based on the convenient sampling in which they were placed into 18 intact classes using a placement test. The study employed a mixed-methods design. Digital picture story books were prepared using The Little Red Hen and Three Billy Goats storybooks. The experimental group was given digital picture story books and the control group traditional story books without the special treatment. A pre-test, a post-test, and a semi-structured interview were used to answer the questions. SPSS software was used for data analysis. The outperformance of the experimental group at the post-test revealed that using digital picture storytelling enhances learners’ oral production. Semi-structured interviews outlined the positive motivational effect on the learners and the teachers’ experiences using this method in their classes. The findings could aid language teachers in selecting a method that can facilitate young learners’ oral production.