Digital storytelling is a powerful tool in language learning that combines narrative, multimedia, and

technology to improve learner engagement, motivation, and communication skills. This study employs

bibliometric analysis to examine the trend of digital storytelling in language learning between 2010 and 2025.

By reviewing publications related to digital storytelling indexed in the Elsevier Scopus database, we collected

and dominant position in the global digital storytelling research network. This bibliometric research provides a

macro-level overview of the field, offering valuable insights for researchers, educators, and policymakers

aiming to leverage digital storytelling in language learning.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has revolutionised education worldwide in recent years.

Online learning and the use of digital technology in the classroom have become essential, especially during the

COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (Tian & Mohd Suki, 2023). To ensure a smooth and efficient learning process,

both instructors and students must now acquire proficiency in digital skills. Digital storytelling is a language

learning technique that is becoming more popular. To make language learning more interesting and dynamic

2023; Xu et al., 2021). Furthermore, digital storytelling encourages students to work in groups via project-

based and collaborative learning, which improves their technical and social abilities (Krasova, 2024).

Activities that make use of video and audio editing software can provide students with an enjoyable and

participatory opportunity to learn pronunciation and intonation (Wu, 2020; Lim, 2022).

Comprehensive bibliometric studies are still few, despite several empirical research studies showing the

success of digital storytelling in language acquisition. Identifying research trends, prominent authors, active

countries, and study topics in this field is facilitated by bibliometric studies (Tian & Mohd Suki, 2023).

Furthermore, this methodology helps identify unexplored research gaps. However, bibliometric research

specifically focusing on digital storytelling in the context of language acquisition has been limited in the last

development of digital storytelling applications in 21st-century language teaching and will also identify

research trends, key authors, and gaps in the field. This paper examines the research trend of digital storytelling

in language learning through an analysis of Scopus-indexed publications. It addresses various research

questions, such as:

While there is widespread consensus that digital storytelling enhances student engagement and skill

acquisition, a meticulous synthesis indicates that outcomes differ according to school level and cultural

context. For instance, Alkhudiry and Al-Ahdal (2021) discovered that digital storytelling's scaffolded story

activities, which promote oral performance, markedly enhanced the speaking fluency and pronunciation of

EFL learners. Conversely, Mangen et al. (2022) found that, particularly for students with limited digital

literacy, the cognitive demands of managing multimedia components can often hinder linguistic accuracy.

Likewise, Behforouz et al. (2023) confirmed enhancements in vocabulary and learner motivation among

Omani EFL students; however, they emphasised that enduring outcomes depend on teacher assistance and

digital access—factors often overlooked in prior research.

Moreover, recent studies suggest that while digital storytelling enhances writing and narrative skills, its impact

Bibliometric studies have recently provided meta-level insights into the development and structure of digital

2015, highlighting clusters associated with multimodality, digital pedagogy, and language assessment. Yoon

and Kim (2021) note that the research has expanded beyond Western settings to include Asia and the Middle

East. Bibliometric mapping also reveals methodological fragmentation; for example, many scholars rely on

descriptive case studies or small samples that limit generalisability (Avcı & Kasimi, 2023). This fragmentation

Bibliometric analysis is particularly suitable for evaluating digital storytelling, as it facilitates a systematic and

that show how digital storytelling research is related to larger trends in digital literacy and language learning

(Avcı, 2023; Wang et al., 2024). For instance, Wang et al. (2024) demonstrated that bibliometric mapping can

monitor transitions from tool-based research that emphasises applications such as Storybird or Animoto to

learner-centred frameworks that foster creativity and identity development. Understanding the history of digital

storytelling and the evolution of evidence-based instructional innovation requires these kinds of insights.

Even though there is more interest, there are still gaps in methodological rigour and theoretical foundations.

Many recent studies remain exploratory, focusing on short-term learning objectives but neglecting transfer or

need for integrative analysis. Bibliometric methods provide a rigorous lens for evaluating how research trends,

collaborations, and theoretical developments in digital storytelling have unfolded globally. Through such an

approach, this study aims to map the intellectual landscape of digital storytelling in language education and

identify emerging directions that can advance both research and classroom practice

Bibliometrics, as defined by Verbeek et al. (2022), involves collecting, organising, and analysing bibliographic

data from scientific publications. In addition to basic statistics like journals, publication years, and author

categorization, bibliometrics also encompasses advanced techniques like document co-citation analysis (Wu &

Wu, 2017). An iterative process combining appropriate keywords, literature searches, and analysis is crucial to

guarantee a good literature review, bibliography development, and realisation of trustworthy findings

book series, and scientific events (Martins et al., 2022). With more than 11,000 publishers and 36,000 titles, the

Scopus database is the biggest storehouse of peer-reviewed material (Rusly et al., 2019, quoted in Ida Rahayu

& Anuar Shah, 2023).

This study employed a screening sequence on June 4, 2025, to determine the search terms for article retrieval.

It utilised a bibliometric approach to examine research trends in digital storytelling within language learning.

The data analysis process encompassed a structured search strategy, rigorous data selection, descriptive

statistical summaries, advanced visualisation techniques, and interpretation of the results to provide a holistic

view of the scholarly landscape from 2010 to 2025. The data were retrieved from the Scopus database, using

the search string TITLE-ABS-KEY (digital AND storytelling AND language AND learning) AND

goal of VOSViewer, like that of the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) method (Van Eck & Waltman, 2010), is

to arrange objects in a two-dimensional space so that the distance between them accurately reflects their

relatedness and similarity (Appio et al., 2014). In contrast to MDS, which is primarily concerned with

normalising co-occurrence frequencies, such as the association strength (ASij), which is computed as:

Wiwj

This is "in direct proportion to the ratio between the number of times i and j occur together as observed and the

number of times they occur together as expected, assuming that they are statistically independent" (Van Eck &

Waltman, 2010, p. 531). Consequently, VOSviewer uses this index to arrange objects on a map after

minimising the weighted sum of squared distances between each item pair. It was established that the

LinLog/modularity normalisation was used (Appio et al., 2016). Analyses such as keyword co-occurrence,

citation analysis, and co-citation analysis were conducted, and patterns based on mathematical correlations

were discovered by applying visualisation methods using VOSviewer to the data set.

Consequently, VOSviewer uses this index to arrange objects on a map after minimising the weighted sum of