Art-Based Digital Storytelling as a Strategy for Developing Imagination and Early Childhood Communication Skills

Abstract

Kurikulum pendidikan anak usia dini menempatkan kemampuan menyusun dan menceritakan kembali cerita sebagai salah satu capaian perkembangan yang penting. Namun, dalam praktiknya, banyak lembaga masih memosisikan anak sebagai penonton tayangan digital dan pelaksana pola karya seni yang telah dibuat oleh guru, sehingga ruang bagi imajinasi dan kemampuan berbicara anak menjadi terbatas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan penerapan digital storytelling berbasis seni, menganalisis perubahan kualitas imajinasi dan kemampuan komunikasi anak yang menyertainya, serta merumuskan kondisi pedagogis yang memungkinkan strategi tersebut dapat berjalan secara efektif. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain studi kasus instrumental tunggal di RA Mubarokah. Penelitian melibatkan 18 anak Kelompok B berusia 5–6 tahun, lima pendidik, dan 18 orang tua. Data dikumpulkan melalui observasi partisipatif terhadap enam siklus pembelajaran, wawancara semiterstruktur, dokumentasi karya seni dan berkas cerita digital, serta kuesioner pendukung. Analisis data dilakukan melalui analisis tematik reflektif enam fase, sedangkan keabsahan data diperiksa melalui triangulasi, member check, dan audit trail. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penempatan karya seni anak sebagai satu-satunya sumber visual dalam cerita digital menggeser posisi anak dari penerima menjadi pencipta cerita. Kelengkapan struktur narasi meningkat dari dua anak menjadi tiga belas anak, rata-rata durasi berbicara meningkat dari 24 detik menjadi 68 detik, dan kekayaan kosakata unik meningkat dari 21 menjadi 47 kata per anak. Empat tema kualitatif menjelaskan mekanisme perubahan tersebut, yaitu kepemilikan terhadap artefak visual, pergeseran peran anak menjadi pencipta cerita, fungsi rekaman suara sebagai cermin diri, dan reposisi guru sebagai fasilitator. Kontribusi penelitian ini terletak pada perumusan model siklus lima tahap yang mengintegrasikan produksi karya seni anak ke dalam alur produksi digital storytelling, serta pada penjelasan mengenai proses yang mendasari perubahan tersebut, bukan hanya hasil akhirnya. Pendekatan yang menjelaskan mekanisme proses tersebut masih relatif jarang ditemukan dalam penelitian mengenai digital storytelling pada jenjang pendidikan prasekolah.

The early childhood education curriculum positions the ability to construct and retell stories as an important developmental achievement. However, in practice, many institutions still position children as viewers of digital content and as executors of art patterns created by teachers, thereby limiting opportunities for children to develop their imagination and oral communication skills. This study aims to describe the implementation of art-based digital storytelling, analyze changes in the quality of children's imagination and accompanying communication skills, and formulate the pedagogical conditions that enable this strategy to work effectively. This study employed a qualitative approach with a single instrumental case study design at RA Mubarokah. The participants comprised 18 Group B children aged 5–6 years, five educators, and 18 parents. Data were collected through participatory observations conducted across six learning cycles, semi-structured interviews, documentation of children's artwork and digital story files, and supporting questionnaires. Data were analyzed using a six-phase reflexive thematic analysis, while data trustworthiness was established through triangulation, member checking, and an audit trail. The findings indicate that positioning children's artwork as the sole visual source for digital stories shifts children from the role of recipients to that of story creators. The completeness of narrative structures increased from two children to thirteen, the average duration of children's speech increased from 24 to 68 seconds, and the richness of unique vocabulary increased from 21 to 47 words per child. Four qualitative themes explain the mechanisms underlying these changes: ownership of visual artifacts, the shift in children's roles toward authorship, the function of voice recordings as self-reflective mirrors, and the repositioning of teachers as facilitators. The contribution of this study lies in the formulation of a five-stage cycle model that integrates children's art production into the digital storytelling production process, as well as in explaining the mechanisms underlying these changes rather than focusing solely on the outcomes. Such process-oriented explanations remain relatively underexplored in research on digital storytelling at the preschool level.