Jul 2026· Journal of Early Childhood Research· 0 citations· 28 references
Abstract
This study applies posthuman theory and materiality to early literacy learning to support shifts in school-based practices from human-centered, developmental models using scripted curricula to one that acknowledges literacy as an intra-active, material-discursive process. The research was conducted in a kindergarten public school classroom where, twice per week, children listened to read alouds and crafted narratives using paper-based and digital tools. The intra-actions recognized children, books, recordings, and writing tools as active participants in the learning process. Learning was entangled with children’s bodies, voices, emotions, and memories. The material-discursive engagements altered the children’s becomings as literate beings. The findings challenge a narrow view of literacy and the child as the sole agent of literacy, highlighting how objects, gestures, playfulness, and cultural stories intra-act to shape learning. The study reimagines storytelling as a dynamic, embodied, and relational practice that disrupts conventional literacy pedagogies.
Background and Purpose: Digital storytelling has emerged as a promising multimodal pedagogical approach in early childhood education; however, empirical evidence on its integrated impact on early reading skills and conceptual understanding remains limited, particularly within Malaysian preschool contexts. Grounded in multimodal learning theory, sociocultural theory, and narrative cognition, this study examines the effects of structured digital storytelling aligned with the National Preschool Standard Curriculum or Kurikulum Standard Prasekolah Kebangsaan (KSPK) on children’s literacy and thematic comprehension.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was employed involving 60 preschool children aged 5–6 years with parental consent across two Malaysian preschools and four of their teachers (i.e., two teachers from each of the preschools) with individual consent and institutional permission. The intervention group engaged in teacher-guided digital storytelling over eight weeks, while the comparison group received traditional print-based storytelling. Quantitative data were analysed using ANCOVA, complemented by qualitative observations and teacher interviews.
Findings: The findings from quantitative analysis have revealed that children in the digital storytelling group demonstrated significantly higher gains in phonological awareness, vocabulary acquisition, narrative sequencing, and conceptual understanding of environmental and social themes. Findings from qualitative analysis have provided further evidence of enhanced engagement, multimodal meaning-making and collaborative interpretation.
Contributions: This paper proposes the Multimodal Narrative Learning Model for Preschool (MNLM-P) to explain how multimodal representation, narrative engagement, and interactive scaffolding mediate learning outcomes. This study has contributed to theory by integrating literacy and conceptual learning within a unified framework and provides context-specific evidence supporting digital storytelling as an effective pedagogy for reading in early childhood education in Malaysia.
Keywords: Digital storytelling, preschool education, early reading development, conceptual understanding, multimodal learning.
Cite as: Zainudin, Z., Jamil, N. K., Wan Nik, W. S., Mohammad Khaidzir, A. S., & Mohd Ali, Z. (2026). Digital storytelling in preschool education: Enhancing early reading skills and conceptual understanding through multimodal narrative pedagogy. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 11(2), 360-379. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol11iss2pp360-379
Zaheril Zainudin, N. Jamil, W. S. Wan Nik et al.· Journal of Nusantara Studies...· 0 citations
This article introduces a
Pedagogy of Presence
framework developed through a qualitative case study exploring visual arts pedagogy with infants and toddlers in four early childhood education (ECE) settings in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study examined how teachers design and facilitate meaningful material encounters with infants and toddlers, emphasising relational pedagogy, material exploration, and teachers’ image of the child. Drawing on interviews, observations, and pedagogical documentation, we found that teachers engaged in a responsive ‘dance’ of listening, echoing, and provoking new ideas and thinking, underpinned by a foundation of attuned care. Organisational structures and thoughtfully designed environments enabled sustained engagement, while teachers’ inquiries and collaborative dialogue supported ongoing pedagogical growth. The
Pedagogy of Presence
framework offers ECE teachers and leaders insight into effective practices for supporting and engaging with infants and toddlers in material exploration and inquiry. This research foregrounds infants and toddlers as capable participants in artistic and cultural life, and positions visual arts not as peripheral, but as central to early learning, identity, and wellbeing.
Rachel Denee, Sarah Probine· Early Childhood Education Jo...· 0 citations
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Jacob Kelley· Postdigital Science and Educ...· 0 citations
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J. Parejo, Tania Monteiro-Pereira, María-O Cortón-Heras· Children's Literature in Edu...· 0 citations
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Karla Dayanne Braga Abreu Aguiar, Tyciana Vasconcelos Batalha, Andréia de Sousa Marques Oliveira et al.· Revista de Estudos Interdisc...· 0 citations
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