Problem Statement

How might we improve language proficiency for novice language learners through storytelling, so that students will be able to produce more learning artifacts such as - poems, comic books, posters, presentations, songs, stories in a second language?

Research (User Interviews)

We conducted 17 user interviews with teachers, students, parents, professors, linguists, and polyglots and we learned that: 

1. Younger children are not intrinsically motivated to learn a new language. 

2. The gamification of an activity makes it more fun, spurring further curiosity and engagement. 

3. Many countries have different versions of the same fable. These archetypal stories can promote cultural awareness and language proficiency.

4. User agency increases engagement in the context of learning.

5. Storytelling helps children learn and engage with the language learning experience, and adds to the culture.

To supplement our user interviews, we conducted a review of related literature and we learned that:

1. The role of storytelling on language learning: A literature review

   Storytelling is claimed to be more effective in language teaching than traditional teaching methods. The effectiveness of storytelling relies on the fact that it is fun, engaging and highly memorable. Ultimately, raising learners’ interest in listening to stories, as well as in speaking, writing and reading comprehension.

2. Language learning through a lens: The case for digital storytelling in the second language classroom

   With storytelling, students are motivated to learn language in context, rather than merely learning basic vocabulary not situated in a story.

3. Applying a multimedia storytelling website in foreign language learning

   Teachers believe that storytelling is a practical and powerful teaching tool, especially for language learning. However, they may hesitate to incorporate storytelling into language instruction because they have little prior experience with integrating storytelling into language teaching, don’t know how to locate appropriate stories, and lack the cultural and language abilities to handle storytelling in the target language.

Main Theory of Action

If students (grades 2-7 in the U.S.) who learning a new language and culture are immersed in a story that provides context to the learning objectives and allows them to explore and define their own journey,

THEN they will be more authentically engaged with the content and motivated to learn a new language and culture,

SO THAT they can develop their cultural and language fluency, and cultural awareness.

Constructs

Our main constructs are: linguistic proficiency, intrinsic motivation, engagement, and cultural awareness. To test our MVP, we focused on the following constructs: linguistic proficiency and engagement. If a student were proficient in a language, then that student would have more informal conversations, have improved language test scores, and be able to produce learning artifacts such as the creation of poems, songs, art work, in a second target language.

Here is the impact ecosystem grid, which includes the most extreme users or edge cases this innovation seeks to target, it also includes the constructs from each user segment, and highlights the potential evidence of impact.

Ideation Process

Our brainstorming process looked at “What are measures of success in learning a new language?” We spent twenty-minutes writing on sticky-notes, and looking at measures that our product got novice language learners intrinsically motivated and engaged to continue their language-learning journey.

Iterations 

MVP 1: We started with AB testing, where the treatment group received a video containing a narrative story entitled “Gazpacho for Nacho” using a mix of Spanish and English. The control group received a word list without context and a corresponding story. Although both users did equally well in the administered language test, we learned that using a story was more engaging for the user. So we continued to iterate based on our first MVP. 

MVP 2: Our second MVP was figma prototype, using “The Three Little Pigs” to test vocabulary. However, there was a lack of user agency in “choosing one’s own adventure to shape the narrative.” 

MVP 3: Our third iteration was the paper boardgame which allowed the user to “choose one’s own adventure” using “The Three Pigs.” We learned that using a well-known story decreases the cognitive load, and further increases the potential to learn a new language. Having the opportunity to engage with the character fortifies identification and empathy to make the character succeed. 

MVP 4: Our fourth MVP is an extension of our third one, extending a traditional Chinese fable while using the existing vocabulary from “The Three Little Pigs.” Our assumption was that a digital prototype would be more fun and engaging, but most users experienced and connected more with a low-fidelity board game due to the current pandemic’s effects on the extension of screen time. 

Impact

Based on user feedback, we merge the digital with the analog to be able to create the best user experience. Our final product (and it’s nowhere near final) is an analog board game with a QR code linking to a recording, allowing for users to self-correct. This board game provides cultural framing through curated fables. Our potential impact is that novice language learners would be engaged enough to jumpstart their language journey and advance their linguistic and cultural proficiency. In the future, we would love to scale this product to incorporate intermediate language learners via our extension card pack, and extend these narratives beyond the two fables we just provided.

Final Deliverable: Are you convinced?