Exploring the Use of Story bird Application for Rural ESL Teachers’ Professional Development

While there has been a growing interest in the use of Storybird application, most of them focused on students’ writing in the native speaker context and very few examined speaking and listening skills for rural ESL learners. Besides, these earlier studies rarely focused on the teachers. The present study examined the use of Storybird application for rural ESL teachers. It highlights the effectiveness of Storybird application based on the teachers’ and experts’ perspectives. A survey was conducted to 89 primary ESL teachers from rural areas in the Northern state of Malaysia, and 8 teachers were later trained to use Storybird application and developed their own teaching materials to suit their learners’ needs. Multiple methods consisted of survey, interview, observation, and reflections were employed, while the ADDIE instructional design model was used to guide the research procedures. The findings revealed that the integration of Storybirdapplication has improved teachers’ digital skills, teaching methods and materials, and enhanced their creativity and motivation. This study provides crucial information regarding the effectiveness of Storybird application which can inform teachers, policy makers, and researchers on digital technology integration for rural ESL context.