The impact of digital storytelling implementation through an animated video creation tool on speaking anxiety, willingness to communicate, and speaking performance: An empirical study

This study was designed mainly to investigate the effect of digital storytelling (DS) and voice recording activities on students' speaking anxiety, willingness to communicate (WTC), and speaking performance. Additionally, students' opinions on the use of DS and its effect on their speaking anxiety and WTC were explored. Ninety-nine second-year university students from the English department of an Iraqi university were targeted to be a sample of the study. A comparison group design was adopted as the research design, and mixed methods were employed for collecting data. Quantitative data were analyzed by applying descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data through content analysis. The results showed that DS significantly contributed to reducing the students' speaking anxiety, while voice recording activities did not significantly affect it. Moreover, the findings revealed that DS and voice recording did not contribute to increasing WTC. Further, DS had a significant effect on the speaking performance of students who participated in DS activities. On the other hand, no significant difference was found in the speaking scores of students who took part in voice recording activities. Additionally, qualitative data obtained through interviews from the experimental group showed several factors affecting students' speaking anxiety and WTC. Factors such as fear of making mistakes, fear of negative evaluation by friends, and lack of linguistic knowledge affect students' speaking anxiety. Similarly, factors such as motivation, student humiliation, supportive classroom atmosphere, and teaching style affect students' WTC.