The effect of digital storytelling on middle school students’ interests in STEM fields and stereotyping

Maya El Chaabi; Rayya Younes

doi:10.29333/ejmste/16220

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Maya El Chaabi ¹ , Rayya Younes ¹ ^*

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¹ Lebanese American University (LAU), LEBANON^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study addresses the low participation rates in STEM careers due to career and intellectual stereotypes by examining the potential of digital storytelling to challenge gender stereotypes and influence middle school students’ interest in STEM. Employing a quasi-experimental design, pre and post-tests, consisting of two questionnaires, were administered to measure shifts in students interest and intellectual stereotypes perceptions. The experimental group, exposed to the digital storytelling intervention, exhibited a positive shift in attitudes and interests in diverse STEM domains. In the examination of intellectual stereotypes, the experimental group displayed distinctive changes, challenging stereotypes associated with innate intelligence, girls’ reading and writing abilities, leadership roles, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills. These findings underscore the need for a refined approach in narrative construction to avoid unintended consequences. Digital storytelling emerges as a promising tool for positively influencing STEM interest and perceptions of intellectual stereotypes among middle school students.

Keywords

digital storytelling
middle school
STEM education
stereotypes
attitude towards STEM
gender

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 21, Issue 4, April 2025, Article No: em2621

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16220

Publication date: 01 Apr 2025

Online publication date: 31 Mar 2025

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How to cite this article

APA

El Chaabi, M., & Younes, R. (2025). The effect of digital storytelling on middle school students’ interests in STEM fields and stereotyping. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(4), em2621. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16220

Vancouver

El Chaabi M, Younes R. The effect of digital storytelling on middle school students’ interests in STEM fields and stereotyping. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2025;21(4):em2621. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16220

AMA

El Chaabi M, Younes R. The effect of digital storytelling on middle school students’ interests in STEM fields and stereotyping. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2025;21(4), em2621. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16220

Chicago

El Chaabi, Maya, and Rayya Younes. "The effect of digital storytelling on middle school students’ interests in STEM fields and stereotyping". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2025 21 no. 4 (2025): em2621. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16220

Harvard

El Chaabi, M., and Younes, R. (2025). The effect of digital storytelling on middle school students’ interests in STEM fields and stereotyping. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(4), em2621. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16220

MLA

El Chaabi, Maya et al. "The effect of digital storytelling on middle school students’ interests in STEM fields and stereotyping". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 21, no. 4, 2025, em2621. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16220