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Goddard, M. (2022). Transmitting Values of Acceptance Towards the LGBTQ+ Community Through the Use of Digital Tools in the EFL Classroom.

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(9). 446-449.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.99.13142

However, the use of digital tools in the EFL classroom for other reasons, like the teaching of

values, has not been discussed as extensively.

The study

For this reason, a study was carried out to identify if digital storytelling could in fact be used in

the EFL classroom as an effective tool in order to promote and transmit values of acceptance

towards the LGBTQ+ community. The study was carried out with just over 100 participants

who were in their 3rd year of a degree in English language and literature at the University of

Alicante in the south-east of Spain. The study was carried out in the subject called “Applied

Linguistics”, in which the students learn about different methodologies and ways to teach

English as a foreign or second language. One of the topics they study is that of digital tools in

the classroom, with a special focus on Digital Storytelling.

The students were introduced to the topic and asked to complete a pre-test regarding the topic.

They also learned about the uses of Digital Storytelling in the process of language learning. In

addition, they were taught about how to make their own examples of digital stories. After the

initial introduction, the participants were tasked with creating their stories, before presenting

them to their fellow classmates in a session consisting of presentations followed by discussions

regarding the stories and the values included in them. Some of the participants chose to adapt

existing stories to add in the values they desired, while others decided to create completely new

stories. Finally, the students were asked to complete a post-test to obtain data regarding their

views on the process of creating their own stories, as well as obtaining data about their views

and whether they had changed since they started participating in the study. In order to assess

if the use of Digital Storytelling was in fact effective in the promotion of values of acceptance

towards the LGBTQ+ community, sections of the pre-test were included in the post-test.

The third section of both the pre-test and the post-test focused on the participant ́s opinions on

the topics of inclusion and diversity. In order to obtain their views, the questions of this section

were based on scales that had previously been validated by other authors. For example, the

questions regarding the LGBTQ+ community and acceptance appeared in this section of the pre- test and post-test and were based on the “Scale for early childhood student's attitudes toward

gay and lesbian families”, which was created by Paige E. Averetta & Archana Hegde [7].

For this part of the pre-test and post-test, there were a total of five questions relating to the

LGBTQ+ community and for all of the questions, the participants were required to select one of

five options, which were strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. The first

question asked the participants about whether they thought that homosexual parents could be

good parents and good role models. The second and third questions asked the participants if

they believed that children of same-sex couples lacked a role model from one of the genders

and if they thought that children of same-sex couples were more likely to be gay themselves.

The penultimate question asked the participants whether they thought that children of same- sex couples are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem. The final question asked the

participants if they thought that relevant training should be given to teachers regarding

different family types. As stated before, these questions were taken from the pre-test and

replicated in the post-test in order to ascertain whether the use of digital stories in the

classroom had helped to promote acceptance towards the LGBTQ+ community.

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 9, Issue 9, September-2022

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

RESULTS

After analysing the responses from the participants in both the pre-test and the post-test, it was

possible to evaluate and assess the impact that digital stories could have on promoting

acceptance towards the LGBTQ+ community. In some questions, there were slight variations of

2 or 3% in the number of people choosing options. For example, in question 1, 5% of

participants chose the option of neutral, while 7% of them chose that option in the post-test.

However, there were significant differences in some of the responses and the number of people

choosing certain answers. In question one regarding homosexual parents being good parents

and good role models, there was a decrease in the number of people choosing agree, falling from

14% in the pre-test to 4.7% in the post-test in favour of strongly agree, which increased from

80% to 87%.

In question 2, which asked if children of same-sex couples lacked one of the genders as a role

model, presented less significant and apparent differences. The number of participants

choosing disagree or strongly disagree in the post-test increased by 2.5% and 6.1% respectively,

while neutral, agree and disagree all decreased by 6%, 1% and 1% respectively.

The third question regarding the children of same-sex couples being more likely to be gay

themselves showed the biggest gap between the responses from the pre-test and those of the

post-test, especially in the responses for neutral and agree. 73% of the participants chose

strongly disagree in the pre-test, while 67% chose it in the post-test. 15% chose disagree in the

pre-test as opposed to 16.5% in the post-test. The biggest differences between the pre-test and

the post-test came in the answers neutral and agree with 1% and 11% of participants choosing

these options respectively in the pre-test, whereas 14.1% and 0% chose them in the post-test.

The option of strongly agree also changed from 0% in the pre-test to 2.4% in the post-test.

In the fourth question, which was about the self-esteem of children of same-sex couples, there

were slight differences between the pre-test and the post-test. 73% of participants chose the

option of strongly disagree and 13% chose disagree in the pre-test as opposed to 67% and

21.1% in the post-test. The option of neutral decreased from 14% in the pre-test to 9.4% in the

post-test. The options of agree and strongly agree merely changed, as they both increased from

0% in the pre-test to 1% in the post-test.

In the fifth and final question regarding training for teachers on different family types, 2% of

participants chose strongly agree in the pre-test, while 4.7% chose this option in the post-test.

In the second option, agree, there was not a significant change as 2% chose this option in the

pre-test and 1% chose it in the post-test. The most significant changes came in the final three

options, neutral, agree and strongly agree going from 16%, 19% and 61% respectively in the

pre-test to 20%, 18.8% and 55.3% respectively in the post-test.

CONCLUSION

In general, it can be deduced from this study that digital storytelling can in fact impact on the

students of a classroom and help to promote values of acceptance towards the LGBTQ+

community while also helping them to improve their knowledge of the English language.