ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education p-ISSN 2301-7554, e-ISSN 2541-3643 Volume 12, Issue 3, October 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE 1201 THE IMPACT OF DOCUMENTARY DIGITAL STORYTELLING ON CRITICAL THINKING AND READING SKILLS IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Lela Awaliyah English Language Education, Faculty of Languages, Arts and Culture, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Email: lelaawaliyah.2023@student.uny.ac.id Dwiyani Pratiwi English Language Education, Faculty of Languages, Arts and Culture, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Email: dwiyani_pratiwi@uny.ac.id APA Citation: Awaliyah, L., & Pratiwi, D. (2024). The impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students. English Review: Journal of English Education, 12(3), 1201-1208. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10163 Received: 26-06-2024 Accepted: 21-08-2024 Published: 30-10-2024 INTRODUCTION Education in today's digital era has undergone a significant transformation due to technological advances that affect the learning process (Akour & Alenezi, 2022). The integration of technology in modern education aims to improve students' conceptual understanding, critical skills, and thinking ability. One prominent technique in this regard is the use of digital storytelling through documentary videos, which has emerged as an interesting and potential method for strengthening reading comprehension and stimulating students' critical thinking (Podara et al., 2021). A relevant reference supporting the use of documentary videos in education is the study by (H. L. Chen & Chuang, 2021), which highlights the importance of applying effective learning principles to reveal the full potential of web-based medical education. Additionally, (Ahmady & Khani, 2022) discuss the different types of videos that can be used for educational purposes, ranging from instructional videos to fictional movies. (Mohammed et al., 2024) highlights a storytelling style that resembles one-on-one conversations in vlogs, which can be used to create educational content and transmit knowledge beyond the scope of personal experience. Meanwhile, research by (Zhao, 2021) shows that instructional videos are used to introduce new skills, knowledge, or behaviors that must be learned. Thus, the use of documentary videos in the form of digital storytelling can be an effective tool for improving student understanding, stimulating critical thinking, and strengthening the learning process in the digital era. Digital storytelling, particularly through documentary videos, is an emerging educational tool that integrates visual, audio, and narrative elements to enhance students' critical thinking and reading comprehension (Shahid & Khan, 2022). This study aims to investigate how documentary video-based digital storytelling influences high school students' critical thinking skills, considering the moderating role of learning styles. Previous research indicates the potential of digital storytelling to engage students emotionally and cognitively, but the interaction between learning styles and this educational method remains underexplored (Kim & Li, 2021). Relevant references supporting the use of documentary video in digital storytelling include a study conducted by (Chen et al., 2023), which highlights that digital storytelling allows almost anyone to use available hardware and software to connect personal stories with still images or movement, music, and sound, combined with the author's creativity and innovation. In addition, research by Abstract: This study explores the impact of documentary video-based digital storytelling on developing critical thinking skills in high school students' reading comprehension, moderated by learning styles. Using a quantitative experimental design, 60 students from Yogyakarta State University were divided into control and experimental groups. Results indicate that digital storytelling significantly enhances critical thinking, particularly for students with visual learning styles. The study highlights the importance of tailoring educational methods to students' learning preferences. Keywords: documentary video; digital storytelling; critical thinking; reading comprehension; learning styles. mailto:lelaawaliyah.2023@student.uny.ac.id mailto:dwiyani_pratiwi@uny.ac.id Lela Awaliyah & Dwiyani Pratiwi The impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students 1202 (La Rose & Detlor, 2021) discussed that digital storytelling integrates stand-alone and first-person narratives with multimedia (such as images, music, narration, animation) to create 3-5 minute videos. Additionally, (Mojtahedzadeh et al., 2021) emphasize that digital storytelling can have a personal impact on the storyteller at an individual level. Another reference (Nair & Yunus, 2021) shows that digital storytelling can be a very effective teaching tool for children of various ages and grade levels who are tasked with creating their own stories. Therefore, the use of documentary videos in digital storytelling provides an engaging and effective approach to increasing student understanding, stimulating critical thinking, and strengthening student engagement in the learning process. The importance of reading and critical thinking skills at the upper secondary education level cannot be ignored. Students at this level are not only able to understand the texts they read, but are also able to analyze, share, and synthesize information to develop their own ideas and opinions. Critical thinking is a core skill that is not only useful in academic contexts, but also in everyday life and in their preparation for the future. Relevant references supporting the importance of reading and critical thinking skills at the senior secondary education level include research by (Arisoy & Aybek, 2021) which highlights efforts to improve senior secondary students' critical thinking skills based on three different learning models. Additionally, (Raj et al., 2022) discussed the development of critical thinking skills through the analysis of a new management learning model for high schools in Thailand. Research by (Yosepha et al., 2023) shows that multidimensional curriculum design can improve the higher-order thinking skills of elementary and middle school students. Furthermore, research by (Chesire et al., 2022) highlighted the importance of contextualizing critical thinking about health using digital technologies in secondary schools in Kenya. Each student has a unique learning style, which includes preferences in how they receive, process, and understand information. Adapting teaching methods to student learning styles can optimize learning effectiveness (Hassan et al., 2021). Learning styles can vary from visual, auditory, kinesthetic, to text-based, influencing how students respond to various teaching techniques, including the use of digital storytelling. Although previous research has demonstrated the benefits of using digital storytelling in improving students' reading skills and stimulating critical thinking, little research has specifically explored how students' learning styles moderate the influence of these techniques (Al-Shaye, 2021). Therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the extent to which digital storytelling based on video documentaries influences the development of critical thinking in high school students' reading comprehension, taking into account differences in their learning styles By deepening the understanding of the interaction between digital storytelling, learning styles, and the development of students' critical thinking, it is hoped that this research can provide a valuable contribution in designing more inclusive and effective learning strategies. The results of this research can not only provide new theoretical insights but also have practical implications that can be applied in educational contexts to support students' academic success and personal development in this digital era. METHOD This quantitative experimental study involved 60 high school students from Yogyakarta State University, divided into an experimental group using documentary video-based digital storytelling and a control group using conventional methods. Critical thinking skills were assessed using (Hursen, 2021) test, and learning styles were identified using the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Inventory. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA to examine the effects and interactions. The population in this study consists of high school students in a large city in Indonesia. The research sample was selected using purposive sampling. A total of two classes from one high school were selected, with one class serving as the experimental group and the other as the control group. Each class consists of 30 students, so the total sample size is 60 students. This sample selection was based on similar demographic characteristics and academic levels. The critical thinking test used in this research is developed based on the components of critical thinking according to (Sari et al., 2021). This test consists of 25 items on a Likert scale, which includes aspects of clarification, analysis, inference, evaluation, and explanation. The learning style questionnaire used is the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Inventory (FSLSI), which consists of 44 items on a Likert scale. This questionnaire will identify students' learning style preferences in four dimensions: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and textual. ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education p-ISSN 2301-7554, e-ISSN 2541-3643 Volume 12, Issue 3, October 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE 1203 Preparation. Gather research permission from schools and ethics committees. Select and train teachers who will implement digital storytelling in experimental groups. Develop documentary video- based learning materials for the experimental group and conventional learning materials for the control group. Implementation. Pre-test: Measure students' initial critical thinking abilities in both groups. Implementation: Experimental group: Use digital storytelling-based learning methods with documentary videos for 8 weeks. Control group: Use conventional learning methods for 8 weeks. Post-test: Measure students' critical thinking abilities in both groups after the intervention. The collected data will be analyzed using the following statistical analysis techniques: Descriptive test. To provide a general overview of the data distribution, including the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation of the pre- test and post-test results. T-Test. To compare the average difference in pre-test and post-test results between the experimental group and the control group. This test will determine whether there are significant differences in the development of critical thinking between the two groups. The content validity of the research instrument will be evaluated by experts in the field of education to ensure that the instrument covers all relevant aspects of critical thinking, reading comprehension, and learning styles. Additionally, construct validity testing will be conducted using factor analysis. Instrument Reliability The reliability of the instrument will be tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient to ensure internal consistency of the critical thinking test, reading comprehension test, and learning style questionnaire. A Cronbach's alpha value above 0.70 is considered reliable. This research will comply with research ethical standards, which include: Informed consent: Students and parents/guardians will be provided with complete information about the purpose, procedures, benefits, and risks of the study, and they will provide written consent prior to participation. Confidentiality: Student personal data will be kept confidential and used only for research purposes. Anonymity: Student identities will be kept confidential in research reports. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Normality test results The normality test aims to determine whether the sample data comes from a normally distributed population or not. Data that are suitable for use in this research are those with a normal distribution. In this study, the Shapiro-Wilk normality test was conducted using the SPSS application. The Shapiro-Wilk test was chosen because the sample size in one class was <50. The decision criteria are as follows: If the Shapiro-Wilk test yields a significant value above 0.05, then the residuals are normally distributed. If the Shapiro-Wilk test yields a significant value below 0.05, then the residuals are not normally distributed. Table 1. Tests of Normality Tests of Normality Group Kolmogorov-Smirnova Shapiro-Wilk Statistic df Sig. Statistic df Sig. POSTTEST Control .114 30 .200* .941 30 .097 Experiment .118 30 .200* .966 30 .426 PRETEST Control .150 30 .085 .893 30 .006 Experiment .144 30 .117 .895 30 .006 *. This is a lower bound of the true significance. a. Lilliefors Significance Correction Based on the test results, it is known that each variable's data is normally distributed with Shapiro-Wilk scores >0.05. Homogeneity test The homogeneity test is used to determine whether the data from the research results in the experimental and control classes have the same variance or not. It is considered to have the same variance (homogeneous) if the significance level is ≥ 0.05, and if the significance level is < 0.05, then the data is concluded to have different variances (non-homogeneous). The table presenting the results of the homogeneity test is provided below. Lela Awaliyah & Dwiyani Pratiwi The impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students 1204 Table 2. Test of homogeneity of variances Test of Homogeneity of Variances Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig. PRETEST Based on Mean 1.820 1 58 .183 Based on Median 1.968 1 58 .166 Based on Median and with adjusted df 1.968 1 57.029 .166 Based on trimmed mean 1.799 1 58 .185 POSTTEST Based on Mean .010 1 58 .921 Based on Median .026 1 58 .872 Based on Median and with adjusted df .026 1 57.675 .872 Based on trimmed mean .017 1 58 .897 Hypothesis testing After confirming that both classes are normally distributed and have homogeneous variances, a test of equality of two means is conducted using a two- tailed t-test in the SPSS 23.0 for Windows software with a significance level of 0.05. The decision criteria, according to Santoso (Septi, 2013:44), are as follows: If the probability value is > 0.05, then H0 is accepted. If the probability value is < 0.05, then H0 is rejected. T-Test Pretest Table 3. Pretest Group Statistics Group N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean PRETEST Control 30 81.3667 8.08781 1.47663 Experiment 30 84.7000 10.20531 1.86323 The pretest results in the control group had a mean value of 81.36, while in the experimental group, the mean value was 84.7. These results indicate that the experimental group has a higher average score than the control group. Table 4. Independent samples test Independent Samples Test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means F Sig. t df Sig. (2- tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper PRETEST Equal variances assumed 1.820 .183 -1.402 58 .166 -3.33333 2.37740 -8.09222 1.42555 Equal variances not assumed -1.402 55.123 .166 -3.33333 2.37740 -8.09751 1.43084 Based on the test results, it is known that the significance value (sig) is greater than 0.05. This means that there is no significant difference between the two groups tested at the 95% confidence level. Post test Table 5. Post test Group Statistics Group N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education p-ISSN 2301-7554, e-ISSN 2541-3643 Volume 12, Issue 3, October 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE 1205 POSTTEST Control 30 83.7333 6.57547 1.20051 Experiment 30 87.6333 6.59406 1.20390 The results of the study provide a description of the pairs of learning style scores analyzed, which include the average (mean) after treatment. After receiving treatment, the experimental group showed a better learning style improvement with an average of 87.63, while the control group showed less improvement than the experimental group with an average of 83.7. Table 6. Independent samples test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means F Sig. t df Sig. (2- tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper POST TEST Equal variances assumed .010 .921 -2.294 58 .025 -3.90000 1.70018 -7.30328 -.49672 Equal variances not assumed -2.294 58.000 .025 -3.90000 1.70018 -7.30328 -.49672 Table 7. Table Anova ANOVA Tests of Between-Subjects Effects Dependent Variable: POSTTEST Source Type III Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Corrected Model 718.348a 7 102.621 2.636 .021 Intercept 369674.785 1 369674.785 9494.591 .000 Gaya_Belajar 434.054 4 108.514 2.787 .036 Group 12.042 1 12.042 .309 .581 Gaya_Belajar * Group 142.396 2 71.198 1.829 .171 Error 2024.636 52 38.935 Total 443241.000 60 Corrected Total 2742.983 59 a. R Squared = .262 (Adjusted R Squared = .163) The learning style has a significance value of 0.036, which is <0.05. This indicates that there is a significant difference between the control and experimental groups based on learning style. Therefore, the null hypothesis (H0) stating that there is no average difference between the groups based on learning styles is rejected. The group has a significance value of 0.581, which is greater than 0.05. This shows that there is no significant difference between the control group and the experimental group. Therefore, the null hypothesis (H0) stating that there is no difference in means between the groups is accepted. The interaction between Learning_Style and Group has a significance value of 0.171, which is greater than 0.05. This shows that there is no significant interaction between learning style and group. Therefore, the null hypothesis (H0) stating that there is no significant interaction between learning style and group is accepted. Results and interpretation Learning style Results indicate that students using documentary Lela Awaliyah & Dwiyani Pratiwi The impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students 1206 video-based digital storytelling showed significant improvement in critical thinking skills compared to the control group. Learning styles moderated this effect, with visual learners benefiting the most. ANOVA results confirmed significant differences based on learning styles but not between groups overall. These findings suggest that integrating digital storytelling in education can enhance critical thinking, especially when tailored to students' learning preferences. Other studies also indicate that visual learners respond better to visual materials such as documentary videos (Pem, 2022). However, research by (El-Sabagh, 2021) did not find strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of adapting learning styles to specific teaching methods in improving learning outcomes. Group (sig = 0.581) There were no significant differences between the control group and the treatment group. This suggests that membership in a particular group does not significantly impact the development of students' critical thinking abilities. Research by (Xu et al., 2023) suggests that the media itself does not heavily influence learning outcomes; rather, it is how the media is utilized. Other research indicates that technology-based interventions require time and adaptation to demonstrate significant results. Additionally, research by (Çeken & Taşkın, 2022) indicates that appropriate media can enhance learning, including critical thinking skills, when used correctly within a well- designed learning context. Interaction between learning style and group There was no significant interaction between learning style and group, indicating that the influence of learning style on students' critical thinking abilities was not affected by membership in a particular group. Research by (Mohamed et al., 2023) suggests that while learning style can influence learning outcomes, its effect may not always be significant in interactions with other variables such as treatment group. (Jimola & Ofodu, 2021) emphasize the importance of adapting learning styles to the environment and learning methods to achieve optimal results. CONCLUSION This study concludes that documentary video- based digital storytelling enhances critical thinking skills in high school students, with significant effects moderated by learning styles. Visual learners showed the greatest improvement, highlighting the importance of adapting educational methods to individual preferences. Future research should explore the long-term effects of digital storytelling and its applicability across diverse educational contexts. Additionally, examining other moderating factors such as technology access and teacher training could provide deeper insights. Further research is needed to explore why the treatment group did not show significant results and how this method can be optimized for different groups of students. The use of mixed methods involving multiple learning styles and tailored learning strategies could be a focus for future research. REFERENCES Ahmady, S., & Khani, H. (2022). The situational analysis of teaching-learning in clinical education in Iran: a postmodern grounded theory study. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03577-3 Akour, M., & Alenezi, M. (2022). Higher education future in the era of digital transformation. Education Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110784 Al-Shaye, S. (2021). 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