Digital Storytelling and Critical Thinking: A Comparative Analysis Across Physical, Virtual, and Hybrid Learning Environments

This research investigates the promotion of critical thinking skills and the dissemination of knowledge through digital storytelling experiences within three distinct learning environments: physical, virtual and hybrid. Using a comparative analysis, the research examines the impact of each modality on critical thinking, focusing on the evaluation of six macro-indicators presented in (Poce, 2017): basic language skills, relevance, importance, argumentation, critical processing and novelty. The study involved students from the universities of Roma TRE, Modena and Reggio Emilia and Tor Vergata through three experiences: in presence tour , a virtual tour made via FrameVR (https://learn.framevr.io/) and an augmented reality application to provide educational content. The results indicate that digital environments significantly improve some aspects of critical thinking, particularly in terms of argumentative quality and creative engagement. The study also observes a marked improvement in knowledge retention, as evidenced by end-of-course evaluations, suggesting that immersive digital storytelling can mitigate the tendency for last-minute hoarding and promote long-lasting educational engagement. This research contributes to the pedagogical discourse on the effectiveness of digital storytelling and object-based learning in promoting critical and reflective thinking processes in students.