DEVELOPING STUDENTS' MULTIMODAL LITERACY AND SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN EFL CLASSROOMS

In recent years, digital technologies have significantly transformed foreign language education, creating new opportunities for developing students’ communicative competence and multimodal literacy. This article examines the role of digital storytelling in enhancing speaking skills and multimodal literacy among students in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Digital storytelling combines verbal language, visual elements, audio, animation, and interactive media, allowing learners to express ideas creatively while improving language proficiency. The study discusses the theoretical foundations of multimodal literacy and explores how digital storytelling promotes speaking fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary acquisition, critical thinking, and learner motivation. Furthermore, the article analyzes practical strategies for integrating digital storytelling into EFL instruction and highlights the pedagogical benefits and challenges associated with its implementation. The findings demonstrate that digital storytelling fosters active participation, collaboration, learner autonomy, and meaningful communication, making it an effective pedagogical tool for modern language education.