ACTION RESEARCH PAPER

Title:

Integrating Digital Storytelling Using Canva to Enhance Grade 7 Students’ Reading Comprehension in
Mambajao National High School

I. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE

(Using The GAP Method: What is → What should be → The gap → Proposed solution)

Reading comprehension is one of the foundational skills necessary for academic success across subject
areas. However, many Grade 7 students continue to experience difficulty understanding narrative texts,
identifying key details, sequencing events, and deriving meaning from reading materials. Currently,
classroom reading instruction in Mambajao National High School relies heavily on traditional strategies,
such as silent reading and worksheet-based tasks, which often fail to engage digital-native learners.

Ideally, reading instruction should be interactive, technological, and visually stimulating, allowing
learners to process stories through multimodal formats. According to the K–12 curriculum, students
should be able to comprehend literary selections through meaningful, contextualized, and learner-
centered approaches.

The gap exists between the traditional methods being used and the type of instruction today’s learners
require—one that involves technology, creativity, and interactive meaning-making. Many students
exhibit low engagement and low performance in reading assessments because the current strategies do
not match their learning preferences.
To bridge this gap, this study proposes Integrating Digital Storytelling using Canva as an innovation.
Digital storytelling combines text, images, audio, and layout to help learners visualize and retell stories,
thereby improving comprehension. Canva provides user-friendly templates that empower students to
summarize narratives, identify key elements, and sequence events more effectively.

II. ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This action research aims to answer the following:

1. What is the reading comprehension level of Grade 7 learners before the integration of digital
storytelling?

2. How does the Digital Storytelling intervention influence students’ reading comprehension?

3. What improvements in reading comprehension are observed after the implementation of the
intervention?

4. How do students demonstrate comprehension during classroom observation using the observation
tool?

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III. PROPOSED INNOVATION / INTERVENTION / STRATEGY

Innovation:

Digital Storytelling using Canva as an ICT-based instructional tool.

Intervention:

Students create digital stories (visual retelling) using Canva templates after reading assigned texts.
Activities include story sequencing, character identification, summarizing, and presenting their work.

Strategy:

Teacher modeling on how to create a digital story

Guided group creation of digital stories

Individual digital story output

Presentation and reflection

Teacher observation using a comprehension-focused checklist

IV. ACTION RESEARCH METHOD

A. Participants / Sources of Data and Information

The participants were 30 Grade 7 students from Mambajao National High School. Purposive sampling
was used, selecting learners identified with low to average reading comprehension based on the English
diagnostic test.

B. Data Gathering Methods

The following instruments were used:

1. Observation Checklist – to document student engagement and comprehension behaviors (e.g., ability
to identify characters, sequence events, summarize).

2. Pre-test and Post-test – researcher-made comprehension tests to measure changes in reading

comprehension before and after the intervention.

3. Digital Story Outputs – evaluated using a rubric.

C. Ethical Issues

Parental consent and student assent were obtained.

Participation was voluntary and unrelated to academic grades.

Confidentiality of student identities was maintained using codes instead of names.

Data was used solely for academic and professional development.

V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (with Dummy Data)

A. Findings

1. Pre-test and Post-test Results

Test Type Mean Score (out of 20) Description

Pre-test9.20 Below Satisfactory

Post-test 15.87 Satisfactory

There was a significant increase of +6.67 points, indicating improvement in reading comprehension after
the intervention.

2. Observation Results

Indicator Pre-Intervention (%) Post-Intervention (%)

Identifies characters 40% 85%

Sequences events logically 30% 80%

Summarizes accurately 28% 78%

Participates actively 42% 90%

Observation data shows substantial improvement in comprehension behaviors.

3. Student Digital Story Outputs

80% produced complete and coherent digital stories.

Students showed improvement in sequencing, summarizing, and identifying story elements.

B. Discussion

The integration of digital storytelling using Canva showed a positive impact on learners’ reading
comprehension. The interactive and visual nature of digital storytelling enabled learners to process
narrative texts more effectively. The post-test scores demonstrated significant improvement, while
observation data revealed increased engagement and better comprehension of narrative elements.

Students appeared more motivated when allowed to use technology. The multimodal approach
supported visual learners and encouraged creativity. These findings support studies showing that digital
storytelling enhances comprehension through visualization and narrative reconstruction.

C. Recommendations

1. Use digital storytelling regularly in reading lessons.

2. Provide orientation and training to teachers on Canva and multimedia tools.

3. Integrate ICT-based reading strategies across grade levels.

4. Allow students to collaborate on digital stories to enhance peer learning.

VI. ACTION RESEARCH WORK PLAN AND TIMELINE

Activity Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5

Preparation of tools ✔

Orientation on Canva ✔

Pre-test✔

Implementation of Digital Storytelling ✔ ✔

Observation ✔ ✔

Post-test ✔

Data analysis ✔

Report writing ✔
VII. COST ESTIMATE

Item Cost

Printing (tests, rubrics, observation forms) ₱300

Internet/Data load ₱200

USB/Storage ₱150

Miscellaneous ₱150

Total Estimated Budget ₱800

VIII. PLANS FOR DISSEMINATION AND UTILIZATION

Present findings during School Learning Action Cell (SLAC) session.

Submit the completed action research to the School Head and Research Committee.

Share the digital storytelling templates and sample outputs with English teachers.

Recommend inclusion of digital storytelling in the monthly reading program.

IX. POLICY NOTE

The results of this study support the integration of ICT-based instructional innovations in reading classes.
It is recommended that Mambajao National High School develop a school-level guideline encouraging
teachers to adopt digital storytelling as a strategy to improve comprehension. The school may include
this approach in its Reading Improvement Program to address persistent literacy gaps.

X. REFERENCES (APA 7th Edition)

Alismail, H. A. (2015). Integrating digital storytelling in education. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(9),
126–129.

Robin, B. R. (2016). The power of digital storytelling to support teaching and learning. Digital Education
Review, 30, 17–29.

Sadik, A. (2008). Digital storytelling in the classroom: A printed-based approach. The Journal of
Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 17(4), 497–517.

Yang, Y. T. C., & Wu, W. C. I. (2012). Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement,
critical thinking, and learning motivation. Computers & Education, 59(2), 339–352.

XI. APPENDICES

Appendix A – Observation Checklist

(Indicators: Identifies characters, sequences events, summarizes, participates, etc.)

Appendix B – Pre-test and Post-test Questionnaire

Appendix C – Sample Student Digital Story Rubric

Appendix D – Parent Consent Form