MAPPING A LANDSCAPE OF DIGITAL STORYBOARDING IN EDUCATION: A NEW SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1162042Keywords:
Digital Narrative, Digital Storyboarding, Education, Educational Technology, Instruction, Teaching, Learning, Storyboarding, Visual StorytellingAbstract
The intensive development of technology, particularly the widespread application of video platforms on social media among youth, highlights the need to implement digital technology into education. Regardless of the increasing scholarly interest, current research is spread across the fields, contexts, and applications of technology, which hinders establishing a unified vision of present research patterns and disciplinary focus. In this respect, the specified systematic review of the literature will serve as an attempt to chart the research space of the sphere of digital storyboarding in education by synthesising the recent empirical studies and expounding on the current themes in research. The systematic search was designed and formulated based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, and two primary databases, such as Scopus and ERIC, were utilized with the assistance of the advanced keyword, which is “digital storyboarding.” Peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2023 and 2025 were restricted in the search strategy to capture the current developments in the field. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, screening, and eligibility checking, 26 primary studies were chosen to be studied in detail. The results reveal three major themes that appear across the literature: (1) the pedagogical application of digital storytelling and storyboarding to improve learning and skill acquisition, indicating the improvements in cognitive, creative, and communicative learning outcomes; (2) digital storytelling as a means of identity, culture, inclusion and social interaction, which underlines the voice of the learner, sense of belonging, and more culturally responsive practice; and (3) technology-enhanced and novel innovations in visual storytelling, which revolves around the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), immersive media, and interactive platforms to make them more accessible and engaging to learners. On the whole, the review suggests that there is a visible trend toward replacing traditional skill-based practices with more inclusive, identity-affirming, and technology-oriented applications of digital storyboarding. This contribution presents a systematic overview of recent studies, determines the gaps in the areas of longitudinal influence and pedagogical architecture, and suggests future research areas that could contribute to the development of theory, practice, and innovation in the field of digital storyboarding in educational settings.
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