Digital storytelling as practice-based participatory pedagogy for English for specific purposes

Abstract English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers in Higher Education struggle with introducing variation and meaning into courses, while addressing 21st century skills development for global employment markets. Digital storytelling in its many forms constitutes fertile ground for engaging students while learning the specific academic and professional languages for their fields of knowledge, through using English as a lingua franca (ELF). The article presents and discusses a pedagogical framework for digital storytelling (DST) that promotes purposeful learning through EFL in two different contexts, in Portugal and Finland. The framework consists of five storytelling steps: (1) research and audience insight; (2) concept design; (3) scripting and storyboarding; (4) digital production; and (5) publication and engagement. The framework was piloted during the 2021–22 academic year with two first-year Business English classes in Office Management and one second-year ESP class in Tourism Management in a Portuguese Polytechnic as well as with an advanced-level ELF class in International Marketing and Communication in a Finnish University of Applied Sciences. Learning through DST provided students with rich opportunities for engagement and interaction, while also developing their skills in language and communication, storytelling, teamwork, digital literacy, and critical thinking. The DST framework has the potential to promote purposeful learning and empower students as active participants in media culture.