Digital Storytelling as a Framework for Inquiry-Based Museum Learning

This paper presents preliminary findings of a study of mobile-supported digital storytelling as a frame for inquiry-based museum learning. The first in a series of trials is presented, which involved 26 13-14 years old students of an international school in Thessaloniki, Greece, and comprised intervention lessons as part of the Art History curriculum and a trip to an ethnographic museum. The students worked in groups to devise questions about the exhibits that were meaningful to them and used smartphones and tablets to find answers during the visit and craft digital stories to present the results of their inquiries. The qualitative findings indicate high levels of engagement and task efficacy, whereas the quantitative findings indicate no significant changes in research skills development. The paper concludes with the interpretation of the findings and recommendations for future research.