The Soul-Healing Story: Implementing Bilingual Digital Storytelling as an Educational Rehabilitation Medium for Post-Disaster Elementary School Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51278/aj.v8i4.2978Keywords:
Digital Storytelling, Educational Rehabilitation, Post-Disaster Education, Bilingual Literacy, Environmental EducationAbstract
Landslides do not only cause environmental and infrastructural damage but may also disrupt the continuity of children's learning. This community engagement program aimed to implement an educational rehabilitation innovation based on digital storytelling, arts, bilingual literacy, and digital technology for elementary school students in a post-disaster context. The program was carried out at SDN Cisarua, West Bandung Regency, through three stages: teacher training, student mentoring, and creative performance. Teacher training was conducted on August 19, 2026, involving two teachers; student mentoring on August 20, 2026, involving 73 students; and creative performance on August 24, 2026. The main innovation was a bilingual Indonesian–English digital story poster presenting three narrative stages: the beautiful valley, the landslide disaster, and community-based environmental recovery. The results show that digital storytelling can function as a multimodal learning medium integrating language literacy, creativity, environmental education, and disaster communication. Students actively participated in storytelling and poster production as environmental campaign media, while teachers acquired alternative creative instructional strategies.
References
Barua, S. (2023). Digital Storytelling : Impact on Learner Engagement and Language Learning Outcomes. International Journal of Academic and Applied Research (IJAAR), 7(6), 25–39.
CAST. (2024). Universal design for learning guidelines version 3.0.
Çay, T., & Demiroğları, G. (2025). Building Resilient Education Systems : A Thematic Synthesis of Post- Disaster Recovery Strategies. Journal of Disaster and Risk, 8(3), 829–844. https://doi.org/10.35341/afet.1676628
Decosimo, C. A., Hanson, J., Quinn, M., Badu, P., & Smith, E. G. (2019). Playing to live: outcome evaluation of a community-based psychosocial expressive arts program for children during the Liberian Ebola epidemic. Global Mental Health, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2019.1
Fukuchi, N., Harada, N., Shoji, W., Konno, C., & Suzuki, E. (2026). Building community resilience: Development and validation of a school-based framework for post-disaster child mental health support. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 135(106056), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2026.106056
Gibbs, L., Nursey, M. K., Tekin, J. T. L. A., & S, U. M. C. N. C. (2021). Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Support Programs Following Natural Disasters — a Scoping Review of Emerging Evidence. Current Psychiatry Reports, 23(82), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-021-01293-1
Gregori-Signes, C. (2014). Digital Storytelling and Multimodal Literacy in Education. Porta Linguarum, 22(Junio), 237–250. https://doi.org/10.30827/Digibug.53745
Harini, Y. N. A., Cambara, H. K., & Kusumawardhana, G. T. (2021). Legenda Makam Keramat Gunung Batu sebagai Sistem Mitigasi Bencana di Sesar Lembang. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra, 21(2), 171–186.
Harini, Y. N. A., Logayah, D. S., & Nurhadi, J. (2024). Strategy for Preservation and Development of Legend-Based Tourism Interest through the Preparation of Web-Assisted Literacy Media. Attractive: Innovative Education Journal, 6(3), 434–447.
Hidayat, N. H., Sundari, H., & Zuhairi, A. (2024). EFL Reading Comprehension through Digital Storytelling in Multimodal Digital Literacy. SCOPE: Journal of English Language Teaching, 9(1), 380–391. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.30998/scope.v9i1.24799
Kendrick, M., & Early, M. (2022). Digital Storytelling With Youth From Refugee Backgrounds : Possibilities for Language and Digital Literacy Learning. TESOL Quarterly, 56(3), 961–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3146
Kress, G. (2010). Multimodality: A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Routledge.
Lai, B. S., Oliveira, G., Lowenhaupt, R., Montes, M., & Riobueno-Naylor, A. (2024). The Important Role of Schools Following Disaster Events. National Academy of Medicine, NAM Perspe(Commentary), 1–9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31478/202412a
Laksmita, O. D., Chung, M. H., Banda, J. K., Shieh, Y. Y., Waluya, S. D., Warsini, S., & Chang, P. C. (2026). Review: School-based interventions for child and adolescent survivors of natural disasters – a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Child Adolesc Ment Health, 31, 41–56. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.70029
Lee, L., Currie, V., Saied, N., & Wrisght, L. (2020). Journey to hope, self-expression and community engagement: Youth-led arts-based participatory action research. Children and Youth Services Review, 109(Part of special issue Child and Youth Participation in Decision-Making: Experiences from Developing Countries Edited by Benedetta Faedi Duramy, Tali Gal), 104581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104581
Liu, S. (2026). The impacts of arts interventions on students’ well-being outcomes: A systematic review with pedagogical outcomes. Journal of Happiness Studies, 27(Article 40). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-026-01021-7
Lunga, W., Ziweya, M., Kaifa, J. M., Musarurwa, C., Magampa, M., & Baloyi, C. (2025). Is Zimbabwe ’ s education system disaster-ready ? Evaluating risk reduction strategies in Binga district schools. Frontiers in Sustainability, 6(Sec. Resilience), 1–11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2025.1635584
Marie Pacheco, E., Parrott, E., Oktari, R. S., & Joffe, H. (2022). How schools can aid children ’ s resilience in disaster settings : The contribution of place attachment , sense of place and social representations theories. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(1004022), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1004022
Mastrothanasis, K., Gkontelos, A., Pikoulis, E., Kladaki, M., Vasiou, A., Sidiropoulou, A., Papantoniou, D., & Pikouli, A. (2025). School-Based Participatory Arts for Psychosocial Adjustment and Well-Being in Health Emergencies : An Embedded Mixed-Methods Study. Healthcare, 13(2737), 1–25. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/ 10.3390/healthcare13212737
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x
Miyaji, M. (2026). Visualising Children’s Sense of Place in Post-Disaster Hometown Learning: A Place-based Education Perspective. The Journal of Social Studies Education in Asia, 15(Special Issue), 19–40. https://jerass.com/jssea/2026/09/02/the-journal-of-social-studies-education-in-asia-volume-15-uploaded-on-september-2-2026/
Nga, P. T. A., Hoa, L. H., & Vu, P. G. A. (2024). From Words to Wonders : EFL Students ’ Perceptions of Digital Storytelling for Language Learning. International Journal of Language Instruction, 3(4), 59–92. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.54855/ijli.24344
Oda, T., & Ichinose, T. (2025). Enhancing disaster risk reduction competencies among school educators : an academic hub and certification initiative for prospective teachers. Journal of Hazard Literacy, 1(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.63737/jhl.25.0021
Peek, L., Fothergill, A., Lefkowitz, Z., & Villarreal, M. (2025). Children’s knowledge and altruistic behaviors in COVID-19: disaster literacy through lived experience. Journal of Hazard Literacy, 1(3), 1–25. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.63737/jhl.25.0028
Phillips, B. D., & Mincin, J. (2024). Disaster Recovery. Routledge.
Purwanto, M. B., Nasar, I., Marisya, F., & Prima, A. (2026). Social Rehabilitation After Natural Disasters : Access and Adaptation of Education for Children Affected by Floods in Sumatra. Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research, 7(1), 64–78. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.30659/jamr.7.1.64-78
Robin, B. R. (2016). The Power of Digital Storytelling to Support Teaching and Learning. Digital Education Review, 30, 17–29. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5772440
Shafa, M. D., Baig, S., & Begum, A. (2025). Natural disasters and teachers ’ well -being : An intervention model for improving the occupational well- being of teachers in a post-disaster situation. ASEAN Natural Disaster Mitigation and Education Journal, 3(1), 1–18.
Shah, A. A., Gong, Z., Pal, I., Sun, R., Ullah, W., & Wani, G. F. (2020). Disaster risk management insight on school emergency preparedness – A case study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 51(101805). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101805
Sidemen, I. B. P., Gotama, N. N. W. A., Sari, I. A. P., Rosalina, I., & Dara, S. (2025). Future Literacies through Digital Narratives : Preparing Students for the Storytelling Society of Tomorrow. International Journal of Educational Narrative, 3(5), 364–374. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.70177/ijen.v3i5.2559
Swank, J. M., Weaver, J. L., & Prikhidko, A. (2022). Children and Adolescents ’ Lived Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 30(2), 184–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807211052303
UNESCO. (2026). Education in emergencies. https://www.unesco.org/en/emergencies/education
UNICEF. (2022). Education: Disasters can deprive children their right to an education, lower educational outcomes, undermine children’s mental health and well-being, and reduce their lifelong learning potential.
UNICEF. (2024). Education in emergencies. https://www.unicef.org/education/emergencies
Veyis, F., Gözüyeşil, E., & Ciğerci, F. M. (2025). The effect of digital storytelling on students’ language skills performance: a meta-analytic study. Educ Inf Technol, 30, 24463–24501. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-025-13722-2
Wang, H. (2025). Multimodal Digital Storytelling as Literacy Learning and Moral Cultivation Practices for. Arab World English Journal, 16(1), 366–383. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/voll6no 1.23
Wigham, S., Watts, P., Zubala, A., Jandial, S., Bourne, J., Hackett, S., & Shaw, L. (2020). Using Arts-Based Therapies to Improve Mental Health for Children and Young People With Physical Health Long-Term Conditions : A Systematic Review of Effectiveness. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(September), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01771
Williams, E., Glew, S., Newman, H., Kapka, A., Shaughnessy, N., Herbert, R., Walduck, J., Foster, A., Cooke, P., Pethybridge, R., Shaughnessy, C., & Gugh-Jones, S. (2023). Practitioner review: Effectiveness and mechanisms of change in participatory arts-based programmes for promoting youth mental health and well-being—A systematic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64(12), 1735–1764. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13900
Yu, B., & Zeng, Y. (2026). A systematic review of digital storytelling in English language learning and teaching. Educational Studies, 52(6), 1160–1187. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2026.2648654
Zainudin, M., Dewi, R., Hadiana, D., Asih, T. N., & Sylvia, N. (2026). A Systematic Review of Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Based on Tsunami Tendenko and Smong : Comparative Insights from Japan and Indonesia for Educational Practices. Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management, 16(1), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.5595/001c.155145
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yostiani Noor Asmi Harini, Sri Setyarini, Achmad Yudi Wahyudin, Memen Durachman, Adinda Anyelir, Muh Hamka D.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

