Digital Storytelling in Teaching and Learning Mathematics: A PRISMA Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Digital storytelling (DST) has emerged as a promising pedagogical approach in mathematics education, combining narrative and digital media to enhance conceptual understanding, engagement, and reflective practice. This systematic review synthesises recent research on how DST is conceptualised, implemented, and evaluated in mathematics education. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, four databases (ERIC, Scopus, HAL, Google Scholar) were searched in October 2025. Peer-reviewed studies (2015–2025) explicitly addressing DST in mathematics education were included. Screening and thematic synthesis were independently conducted by the two first authors to reduce bias. A total of 47 studies involving approximately 3000 participants across early childhood, school, and teacher education were included. DST was found to enhance mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, motivation, and self-efficacy, while supporting identity development and collaboration. For teachers, DST fostered reflective practice, emotional awareness, and technological–pedagogical–content integration. Challenges included limited preparation time, insufficient training, and unequal digital access, though emerging AI tools offered promising solutions for scalable DST creation. Evidence highlights DST’s cognitive, affective, and pedagogical benefits, though small-scale and short-term designs limit generalisability. Further longitudinal and cross-context studies are needed.

1. Introduction

The integration of digital technologies in mathematics education has inspired new pedagogical approaches, among which digital storytelling (hereinafter referred to as DST) stands out for its potential to humanise mathematics, increase engagement, and support conceptual understanding (Bratitsis & Mantellou, 2020; Lampert, 2001; Robin, 2008). DST, broadly understood as the use of narrative and digital media to construct and communicate knowledge, is increasingly recognised as a means to bridge abstract mathematical ideas with learners’ lived experiences (Lampert, 2001; Robin, 2016). Over the past two decades, DST has emerged as a prominent pedagogical approach that integrates narrative with multimedia tools to enhance learning experiences across disciplines, including mathematics education (Robin, 2008; Lambert, 2013). Building on the long-standing tradition of storytelling as a means to convey meaning and cultural knowledge, DST leverages technological affordances—such as images, video, audio, and interactivity—to present concepts in ways that promote engagement, personal connection, and multimodal representation of ideas (Barrett, 2006; Bratitsis & Mantellou, 2020; Moutsios-Rentzos et al., 2019).

Within mathematics education, DST has gained increasing scholarly and practical attention due to its potential to illustrate abstract concepts, support inquiry and reasoning, and foster affective engagement with mathematics (Albano et al., 2016; Bratitsis & Kapaniaris, 2024; Garcia & Rossiter, 2010). Researchers have argued that DST aligns with socio-constructivist and sociocultural theories of learning, as narratives situated in meaningful contexts encourage active participation, dialogue, and the co-construction of mathematical understanding (Albano et al., 2020a; Moutsios-Rentzos et al., 2019). For example, considering mathematics teacher education, in an ongoing DST-based project (https://remediate.primedu.uoa.gr, accessed on 18 October 2025; see also Moutsios-Rentzos et al., in press), DST is employed with the purpose of facilitating future teachers to re-experience mathematics and its teaching as a deeply anthropological, personal-referenced, sociocultural activity with relevance to everyday life, qualities that are crucial for teaching and learning mathematics in the contemporary, ever-expanding, and inter-connecting reality (see also Moutsios-Rentzos, 2024).

Recent technological advances have expanded the scope of DST in mathematics education, enabling interactive storytelling formats, immersive environments, and AI-assisted story creation (Li et al., 2024; Zhang et al., 2025; Zhu et al., 2025). These developments have opened opportunities for increased accessibility, collaborative design, and personalised educational content (Zhang et al., 2025) while also raising questions about quality assurance, teacher preparedness, and pedagogical integration (Sen, 2024; Walters et al., 2016). Thus, DST seems to be a promising educational tool in general and in mathematics education in particular, bringing together diverse digital competences.

Despite these promising developments, the literature on DST in mathematics education remains dispersed, spanning various educational levels, cultural contexts, and implementation models. Prior reviews have tended to focus either on broader STEM contexts and/or broader storytelling applications (Cabrera et al., 2025) or on storytelling more generally (Irmayanti et al., 2025), leaving a gap in synthesising findings specific to mathematics education. Moreover, we followed a systemic-driven approach to mathematics education (Moutsios-Rentzos & Kalavasis, 2016), in the sense that we considered both the teaching and learning aspects of mathematics education, with the purpose of gaining deeper insights into the teaching and learning phenomena related to mathematics.

Within this context, in this paper, we employ a PRISMA-based systematic review methodology to address the aforementioned research gap, focusing on the following research questions:

RQ1. How is DST conceptualised and implemented in mathematics education?

RQ2. What are the reported affordances of using DST to support student learning, engagement, and attitudes?

RQ3. What are the reported affordances of using DST to support teacher learning and preparation?

RQ4. What challenges and opportunities are identified in the integration of DST in mathematics teaching and learning?

2. Background

Storytelling has been traditionally recognised as a fundamental human communication practice and a powerful educational strategy for centuries. In mathematics education, conventional storytelling has been used to contextualise abstract concepts, humanise the subject, and support cognitive and affective engagement (Whitin & Whitin, 2004). The digital transformation of storytelling, propelled by increasing access to multimedia tools, has expanded these possibilities through multimodal integration and interactive engagement (Robin, 2008; Lambert, 2013). Research in DST situates it within constructivist and sociocultural learning frameworks, emphasising learner agency, collaborative meaning-making, and authentic problem contexts (Albano & Pierri, 2017). In mathematics classrooms, digital narratives can function as scaffolds for inquiry (Albano et al., 2020b), as mediators in mathematical discussion (Albano et al., 2021b), and as catalysts for emotional engagement (Bratitsis & Kapaniaris, 2024).

Defining Digital Storytelling

DST has been defined in various ways across the literature. Robin (2008) describes DST as the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories, emphasising the combination of narrative, images, audio, and video. As in traditional storytelling, digital stories revolve around a selected topic and typically take a particular viewpoint (Robin, 2006). Lambert (2013) highlights DST as a process of capturing lives, creating community through personal digital narratives. Bratitsis and Mantellou (2020) focus on DST’s role in education, describing it as the creation of short, personal narratives using digital tools to support learning objectives. Moutsios-Rentzos et al. (2019) extend the definition by focusing on collaborative, multimodal texts that foster mathematical meaning-making. In the context of mathematics education, DST has also been associated with the use of specific forms of visual narratives, such as comics, to explore specific areas of mathematics, such as argumentation and proof (Deslis et al., 2021, 2024).

According to Bratitsis and Kapaniaris (2024), a key characteristic that distinguishes DST from other forms of narration conveyed through digital means is its deliberate focus on emotional engagement. Unlike conventional digital presentations, which the audience primarily reads or passively watches, a well-crafted digital story is designed to evoke affective responses, prompting the viewer to experience the narrative on a personal level. In this way, both affective engagement and cognitive engagement are achieved (Moutsios-Rentzos et al., 2019, in press).

Building on these perspectives, it is evident that DST has been conceptualised as a practice (Robin, 2006, 2008), a community-building process (Lambert, 2013), a pedagogical tool (Bratitsis & Mantellou, 2020), and a collaborative, multimodal text for mathematical meaning-making (Deslis et al., 2021, 2024; Moutsios-Rentzos et al., 2019). While each definition emphasises different aspects—be they narrative, technology, community, pedagogy, or multimodality—they converge on the central idea that DST involves the purposeful integration of narrative and digital media to support learning and identity formation. Synthesising these proposed definitions, and with a focus on mathematics education, in this paper, we view DST as

“The individual or collaborative process by which learners, educators or researchers create, interpret, or share narratives—combining textual, visual, and/or auditory digital media—to construct, communicate, contextualise, and reflect upon mathematical ideas, practices, or experiences, with the aim of supporting conceptual understanding and emotional engagement of teachers and/or students.”

This definition encompasses personal and collaborative storytelling, multimodal and comic-based narratives, and both student- and teacher-generated DST artefacts. Using this working definition, this study will review a broad selection of studies to provide a comprehensive overview of DST in mathematics education, offering insights into its conceptualisation, implementation, and pedagogical potential, as well as the challenges and future directions for research and practice.

3. Methods

This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines (Moher et al., 2009) to ensure transparency, rigor, and replicability throughout the study selection process. A detailed review protocol was established (not registered) prior to data collection to guide the methodology and limit bias. The two first authors independently screened all records by title, abstract, and full text. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion. No automation tools were used in the selection process.

The literature search was carried out in October 2025. Our search strategy was designed to include databases widely recognised in educational research (ERIC, Scopus, and HAL), complemented by a targeted search in Google Scholar to maximise breadth and diversity in educational contexts, publication types, and regional coverage. For the purposes of this study, we decided not to include the Web of Science database, as preliminary scoping indicated substantial overlap with Scopus and limited additional yield for mathematics education and digital storytelling topics. The search encompassed studies published over a recent 10-year period, from 2015 to 2025, to capture the most up-to-date developments regarding digital storytelling (DST) within mathematics education.

A comprehensive search string was formulated to include all relevant terminology associated with DST and mathematics education: (“digital storytelling” OR “digital story” OR “digital stories” OR “digital narrative” OR “digital narratives” OR “multimodal text” OR “multimodal texts” OR “multimodal story” OR “multimodal stories” OR “multimodal storytelling”) AND (“mathematics education” OR “math education”).

The inclusion criteria were set to consider peer-reviewed empirical research articles, reviews, and theoretical papers explicitly addressing DST as a pedagogical tool in mathematics education—or within broader STEM/STEAM disciplines provided that mathematics formed a central focus. Publications outside educational contexts, or studies not addressing DST substantively as an instructional strategy, were excluded. Other disqualifiers included duplicates and non-peer-reviewed sources.

The initial database search yielded 60 articles. After the removal of duplicates (4 records), a total of 56 titles and abstracts were screened for relevance. Two additional articles were excluded at this stage due to irrelevance or not being peer-reviewed. This screening resulted in 54 articles selected for full-text eligibility assessment. A further seven articles were excluded upon thorough full-text review because they did not meet the predetermined inclusion criteria—primarily for insufficient focus on DST and/or mathematics education. Following this rigorous screening and eligibility check, 47 studies were identified as meeting all criteria and were included in the final systematic review (none missing). Figure 1 summarises the process of searching, screening, and selection, illustrating the comprehensive, multi-stage approach adopted to identify high-quality and relevant research for analysis.

Each included study was analysed with respect to the research questions guiding this review. Data from the included studies were independently extracted by the first two authors, and extracted information was cross-checked to ensure consistency. Studies were grouped thematically according to participant type (students, teachers), educational level, and focal outcome (conceptualisation, learning outcomes, teacher development, implementation challenges) to structure the synthesis and presentation of findings. This methodological approach reflects best practices recommended in recent systematic reviews of educational technologies (e.g., Alonso-Fernández et al., 2019; Koutromanos & Kazakou, 2023; Malegiannaki & Daradoumis, 2017) and aligns the current review with the evolving standards of research synthesis in mathematics education. Extracted data included the following: author(s), publication year, educational level, study purpose, sample characteristics, methodology, intervention features, key findings, and reported limitations. Where available, data on student learning outcomes, teacher perspectives, and implementation challenges were recorded. Certainty of evidence was judged narratively, taking into account the consistency of findings across studies, methodological robustness, and replication in different educational contexts.

The 47 studies included in this review span primary, secondary, and tertiary education, as well as teacher preparation and professional development.

Table 1. Summary of the studies included in the final analysis.

A/A	Author(s) (Year)	Country	Education Level	Purpose of Study	Sample	Key Findings
1	Albano and Dello Iacono (2019)	USA	Prospective support teachers	To design and analyse digital storytelling story-problems supporting students with disabilities.	17 prospective support teachers in groups	Teachers could integrate narrative and math aspects but struggled with mathematically sound problems.
2	Albano and Pierri (2017)	Germany	Secondary school	To present a competence-based storytelling model supporting real-world problem-solving.	27 second-year (13–15-year-old) students in a Scientific Lyceum	Digital storytelling model aligned with PISA; early positive student feedback; noted prototype constraints and limits.
3	Albano et al. (2024)	Germany	Undergraduate mathematics students	To design and explore a distance learning activity for general topology concepts and identity.	50 second-year mathematics undergraduate students	Activity used example production, conjecture, and variations, and integrated DIST with thinking classroom model; preliminary positive results on problem-solving, metacognition, and identity formation.
4	Albano et al. (2021a)	Canada	School; unspecified level	To model cognitive roles in problem-solving using DST.	Pilot implementation with students (unspecified number)	DST roles can foster reflection, collaboration, problem-solving, argumentation, and learner identity development.
5	Albano et al. (2021b)	UK	High school	Investigate the role of the teacher in using DST in the mathematics classroom.	One teacher and her 2nd-year high school students	Teacher mediated problem-solving through chat. Technology enabled monitoring, scaffolding, and post-activity reflection.
6	Albano et al. (2020a)	Italy	K-12 schools	To design and implement interactive digital storytelling promoting mathematical inquiry and proof.	60 students from three different classes in the first and second years of high school	DST fosters inquiry, conjecture, formalisation, and proof skills; helps teacher detect misconceptions; ICT organisation critical for success.
7	Albano et al. (2016)	Italy	10th grade	To implement and validate a Vygotskian learning activity model using digital interactive storytelling.	23 early trial participants	Model combines experiential and discursive math learning; uses individual/social tasks; qualitative outcomes suggest model adjustments needed.
8	Albano et al. (2020b)	Czech Republic	High school	To investigate how to use DST to promote mathematicians’ attitudes.	26 first-year high school students	DST provides access to more information than a real situation; offers teachers the chance to observe student work in an authentic context.
9	Albano et al. (2022)	USA	High school	Analyse the process of solving a mathematical problem within a story proposed to student participants.	30 students from the first class of a human sciences high school	DST enabled student argumentation, critical engagement with the mathematical concepts, collaborative learning, and knowledge construction.
10	Albano et al. (2019)	the Netherlands	High school	Investigate how digital interactive storytelling affects engagement and attitudes towards mathematics.	Case study, a 9th-grade school class with 30 students	Through immersion, collaboration, and online interaction, DST can improve students’ attitudes and engagement.
11	Batur and Çakıroğlu (2023)	UK	High school students	To examine the effect of digital storytelling on high school students’ aggregate reasoning in statistics.	50 10th-grade students	Digital storytelling positively influenced students’ reasoning abilities with statistical concepts; enhanced engagement and understanding.
12	Bratitsis and Mantellou (2020)	Greece	2nd grade, primary school	To examine effectiveness of DST for teaching two vertical subtraction algorithms in 2nd grade.	74 second-grade students from 3 Greek schools	Viewing the digital story significantly improved students’ performance on subtraction with borrowing (58% increase in correct solutions); emotional engagement with characters enhanced learning and attitude; simple intervention (story only) was effective.
13	Cabrera et al. (2025)	UK	Primary and secondary STEM education	To review storytelling integration, methodologies, and outcomes in STEM education.	61 studies analysed	Storytelling, including DST, enhances technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration, fostering interest in STEM fields.
14	Chao et al. (2021)	USA	Adult/community education	Explore mathematics identity via digital storytelling by informal adult educators.	14 informal adult educators	DST enabled counternarratives and identity exploration among community math educators.
15	Chao (2023)	USA	Elementary and middle school youth	Explore digital math storytelling to challenge stereotypes in Asian American communities.	8 youth in Asian American communities (9–13 years old)	Digital storytelling empowers youth to redefine math identity beyond stereotypes.
16	Copur and Tumkaya (2024)	Turkey	4th grade, primary school	To examine effects of digital stories based on Realistic Mathematics Education on achievement, anxiety, attitudes, and retention.	69 fourth-grade students	Digital storytelling based on RME significantly increased math achievement and positive attitudes but did not reduce anxiety.
17	Cetinkaya and Demir (2025)	Turkey	Middle school science	To detail creation stages of interactive digital storytelling in science (with implications for math/STEM education).	6th-grade science students	Interactive digital stories increase student engagement and interest in science/STEM subjects.
18	Deslis et al. (2021)	Thailand	Teacher education	Explore teacher proof-related mathematical knowledge.	10 primary teachers	Comic-style digital stories can facilitate in-depth interviews on teacher professional knowledge.
19	Deslis et al. (2024)	Hungary	Teacher education	Investigate teacher knowledge and views about Lakatos-style proof instruction.	331 pre-service and in-service teachers	Comic-style digital stories incorporated into surveys can enable the extraction of teacher profiles.
20	Mosia and Egara (2025)	USA	Senior secondary school	To examine effects of digital storytelling on learners’ achievement and interest in circle geometry.	132 senior high school students from 4 schools in Nigeria	Digital storytelling significantly increased student engagement and comprehension. Higher increase in interest for males; no gender difference in achievement.
21	Fazio et al. (2022)	Taiwan	Secondary	To explore adolescents’ critical reading of multimodal socioscientific texts.	6 adolescents aged 10–14	Multimodal texts shaped comprehension, emotions, and argument analysis.
22	Dello Iacono et al. (2021)	UK	High school	Investigate online collaborative argumentative thinking in the DIST-M environment.	26 first-year high school students	Interaction and tools improve critical thinking and argumentation skills.
23	Irmayanti et al. (2025)	the Netherlands	Early childhood to high school	To review storytelling methods used in mathematics learning across Asian educational levels.	19 studies from seven databases	Storytelling motivates math learning, varies by educational level, and reduces math anxiety.
24	Islim et al. (2018)	UK	Teacher education	To explore pre-service elementary math teachers’ experiences creating and using digital stories.	48 prospective primary teachers	Pre-service teachers valued DST’s ease and visuals, and planned future classroom use.
25	Istenic Starcic et al. (2016)	UK	Pre-service teacher education	Explore the impact of DST engagement on pre-service teachers’ problem-solving competencies.	115 pre-service teachers aged 19–20 years	DST fosters the development of teachers’ mathematical problem-solving skills and pedagogical competences.
26	Kalavasis and Moutsios-Rentzos (2023)	the Netherlands	Pre-service preschool and primary teachers (PSTs)	To facilitate PSTs’ reconstruction of a positive image of mathematics through exploring historical characteristics of mathematicians.	Two implementations—small (<15 PSTs) and large (>100 PSTs)—in Greece	Using history of mathematics helped PSTs shift from negative affect to positive, functional views; promoted recognition of the universality of mathematics.
27	Karaoglan Yilmaz et al. (2018)	USA	Fourth grade, primary	To identify and reduce fourth graders’ misconceptions about fractions using digital stories.	25 fourth-grade students in a Turkish private school	Digital stories eliminated most misconceptions; improved fraction understanding; students found learning fun and constructive.
28	Karaoglan Yilmaz and Durak (2018)	USA	Pre-service teachers (Math Department)	To investigate pre-service teachers’ opinions on using their model in designing digital stories.	49 pre-service math teachers	Engaging characters attracted attention; objectives stated clearly; prior knowledge recalled; positive experience reported.
29	Kaymakci Ustuner et al. (2023)	UK	Primary (ages 10–11)	To design and evaluate a digital educational game combining storytelling to teach algebra	180 10–11-year-old students from 6 different classes in the UK	Storytelling in digital games can potentially improve attitudes and attainment in algebra.
30	Kildan and Incikabi (2015)	UK	Early childhood teacher candidates	To present teacher candidates’ experiences preparing digital stories and effects on self-reported TPACK.	13 early childhood teacher candidates (fourth year of the Early Childhood Teaching Programme)	Preparation of digital stories improved candidates’ integrated TPACK, shifting from partial to full intersection.
31	Kritikos et al. (2018)	Greece	Postgraduate educators	To study educators’ reflections on their emotional relationship with mathematics through creating DST.	24 postgraduate master’s students	DST creation elicited rich self-reflection (both in-action and on-action) on personal math experiences; DST viewed as a powerful didactic and socialisation tool; multimodality, music and narration, enhanced storytelling impact; fostered community and professional identity formation.
32	Kukul (2024)	the Netherlands	Teacher education	Investigate digital storytelling based on the technology acceptance model.	52 pre-service mathematics teachers	Pre-service teachers’ perceived ease of use was high; high usefulness perceptions; most intended to use DST in future teaching practices.
33	Kumaş (2024)	USA	Kindergarten school	To explore whether digital story interventions can improve early math skills in kindergarten children with mild intellectual disabilities.	15 children, pretest–posttest control group design	Digital story-based education can enhance engagement and understanding of math concepts.
34	Li et al. (2024)	UK	Grades 3–5 (primary)	Develop and validate an automated method assessing quality of GAI-generated math stories.	486 online math stories, 972 browsing records from 189 student users	Text features such as conjunctions and simplified vocabulary positively correlated with behavioural engagement.
35	Marsico et al. (2019)	Australia	High school	Explore DST as a co-constructive educational method to promote active and reflexive learning.	Two first-year classes of 24 and 28 students of two different high schools	DST can enhance behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement in mathematics education.
36	Moutsios-Rentzos et al. (2019)	Greece	Teacher education	To explore how DST reflecting teachers’ emotional paths in math influences professional development.	Pilot group of pre-service and in-service teachers	DST fostered reflective sharing of emotional experiences, and increased teacher engagement and potential for managing students’ math difficulties more effectively.
37	Niemi and Niu (2021)	UK	Primary school (ages 10–11)	To explore how DST affects students’ self-efficacy in math learning, focusing on geometry.	121 Chinese primary students	DST significantly increased math self-efficacy by making math learning meaningful; improved confidence in learning and peer discussion.
38	Pierri (2022)	Italy	High school	Explore affective reactions and engagement structures in digital interactive storytelling with expert feedback.	Pilot study, 26 first-year high school students	DST can support cognitive and emotional engagement with mathematics.
39	Polo et al. (2019)	Italy	Upper secondary school	Analyse student and expert interactions using social network analysis in digital interactive storytelling.	One upper secondary school classroom (trial participants)	Social network analysis revealed patterns of peer and expert interaction; highlighted collaboration dynamics and analytical tool limitations.
40	Saifi and Lal (2024)	India	Grade 3 (early primary)	Examine effectiveness of DST in improving foundational numeracy skills.	240 grade 3 students	Digital storytelling significantly improved numeracy achievement compared to traditional methods.
41	Sen (2024)	Turkey	Pre-service elementary math teachers	Evaluate DST created by pre-service teachers, their experiences, and their views on DST as teaching material.	49 pre-service elementary mathematics teachers	Created digital stories were moderately acceptable; DST seen as interesting, visually rich, and supportive; intention to use DST materials rather than create due to time constraints.
42	Sum et al. (2024)	the Netherlands	Grade 3	Use storytelling to teach fractions to students with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.	60 grade 3 students	Storytelling reduced achievement gaps and supported fraction language acquisition.
43	Ulutas et al. (2022)	Switzerland	Early childhood teachers	Train early childhood teachers on Digital Mathematics Stories and explore their experiences.	30 early childhood teachers	Teachers showed increased confidence, creativity, motivation, and digital integration ability.
44	Walters et al. (2016)	UK	Pre-service elementary and middle school teachers	To examine how creating with Math-eos enhances pre-service teachers’ understanding of multimodal math representations and problem-solving.	71 pre-service teachers	Math-eos increased awareness of multimodal teaching, improved digital skills, and motivated tech integration; seen as a “cool” tool to engage students.
45	Walters et al. (2018)	USA	Pre-service elementary and middle school teachers	To examine whether creating a mathematics-based digital story increases pre-service teachers’ understanding of the problem-solving process.	71 pre-service teachers	DST can increase student engagement, motivation, and acquisition of content knowledge in mathematics education.
46	Zhang et al. (2025)	Switzerland	Not specified	To develop a multi-agent framework based on large language models for story text generation	Theoretical	The multi-agent framework enhances the accuracy of the mathematical description in the educational stories, but the generated stories still lack creativity.
47	Zhu et al. (2025)	Ireland	K-5 math education	To study an innovative pedagogy enabling students to create math stories powered by generative AI	Two K5 schools, 86 students	AI-powered math storytelling platform supported student engagement and improved conceptual learning in mathematics.

below provides an overview of the included studies, detailing the author(s), country of publication, year, education level, study purpose, sample, and key findings.

The data were subjected to thematic analysis (Boyatzis, 1998; Braun & Clarke, 2012). All included studies were systematically coded and categorised according to their focus and methodological characteristics. Initially, the studies were independently coded by the first two authors using an inductive approach to identify recurring patterns in aims, outcomes, and contexts. Coding units consisted of sentences or short excerpts referring to pedagogical, affective, or technological aspects of DST. Codes with conceptual similarity were grouped into overarching themes, which were refined through iterative discussion until consensus was reached. This process ensured consistency and transparency in the synthesis of qualitative evidence (Thomas & Harden, 2008) and led to the identification of four key analytical categories: (1) conceptualisation and implementation of DST in mathematics education, (2) reported affordances for student learning, engagement, and attitudes, (3) reported affordances for teacher learning and preparation, and (4) challenges and opportunities in DST integration. These categories guided the structure of the Findings and Discussion Section, enabling the identification of patterns, contrasts, and relationships across diverse educational levels, contexts, and study designs.

4. Findings and Discussion

A thematic synthesis approach was used to integrate findings across studies. Codes were derived inductively from recurring concepts, and themes were organised around the four research questions. The findings from the synthesis of the results of the 47 selected studies are presented in the following sections, organised by the study’s research questions.

4.1. Conceptualisation and Implementation of Digital Storytelling in Mathematics Education—Response to RQ1

Digital storytelling (DST) in mathematics education is conceptualised as a multimodal, narrative-based pedagogical approach that integrates traditional storytelling with digital media—such as images, audio narration, video, and text—to present mathematical concepts in engaging, meaningful ways. Rather than functioning as an auxiliary activity, DST is consistently framed as a core vehicle for contextualising abstract mathematical ideas and fostering engagement through narrative, multimodality, and emotional connection (Albano et al., 2016; Bratitsis & Mantellou, 2020; Pierri, 2022; Zhang et al., 2025).

In particular, several studies emphasise DST as a flexible instructional tool that can be generated by either teachers or students. Teacher-prepared digital stories can structure and orchestrate classroom discussion, making abstract concepts tangible (Albano et al., 2021b). For example, Bratitsis and Mantellou’s (2020) intervention in second-grade classrooms employed a teacher-prepared digital story on subtraction algorithms, with students engaging primarily by viewing and retelling the story, which sufficed to significantly improve their performance. Walters et al. (2016, 2018) illustrate the value of student-created digital stories, highlighting DST’s role in encouraging active learner participation and facilitating deep understanding through multimodal problem representation. Overall, the literature illustrates DST’s potential for both teacher-driven and learner-centred implementations across age groups. Therefore, DST can be understood not merely as a delivery method but as a mediating tool that redistributes agency between teachers and learners, aligning with constructivist and sociocultural perspectives on co-authorship of knowledge.

Furthermore, teacher education contexts reveal more complex conceptualisations: DST is seen as both a reflective methodology and a design challenge. Sen (2024) reports that pre-service teachers appreciated DST materials for their visual richness and instructional support but raised concerns about the high time demands for digital story creation. Kukul (2024) further corroborates that pre-service teachers view DST as a promising, easy-to-use teaching approach, intending to integrate it through both student involvement in story creation and ready-made DST resources. Albano et al. (2020a) report that DST can offer teachers the opportunity to engage with large amounts of authentic student work in a time-efficient manner.

More recently, technology-enhanced implementations are rapidly evolving to include AI-assisted story generation. Li et al. (2024) and Zhu et al. (2025) introduce automated, generative AI platforms to create multimodal math stories, asserting that simplified vocabulary and well-integrated text–image coherence enhance learner engagement and comprehension, potentially overcoming traditional DST creation and preparation barriers. These studies point to an emergent paradigm where DST becomes adaptive, scalable, and personalised, leveraging data-driven content generation to tailor mathematical narratives to learner profiles.

Theoretical framings typically situate DST within constructivist and sociocultural traditions (e.g., Marsico et al., 2019). Albano et al. (2024) integrate DST within the thinking classroom model, emphasising student conjecture, variation, and interaction with narrative problems, which promote metacognition and identity formation. Similarly, social network analyses (Polo et al., 2019) reveal DST’s potential in fostering collaborative learning communities, extending implications beyond individual cognition to collective mathematical discourse and peer support.

Summary of Response to RQ1. DST is conceptualised as a multimodal pedagogical practice that can be teacher-led, student-generated, or hybrid. In mathematics education, it is uniquely valued for contextualising abstract concepts, fostering discussion, supporting reflective practice, and increasingly leveraging AI for scalability and personalisation.

4.2. Digital Storytelling and Students—Response to RQ2

Importantly, DST applications vary according to educational level, employing differentiated storytelling strategies tailored to learners’ developmental needs and contexts. As Irmayanti et al. (2025) report, elementary classrooms often use storytelling techniques and visual aids combined with play-based activities, fostering kinaesthetic and visual engagement alongside narrative comprehension. At the high school level, DST integrates brain-based learning principles, visual imagery, and music, sometimes coupled with student-made projects, to promote deeper learning and motivation. Across these levels, storytelling emerges as a meaningful tool for enhancing mathematics understanding by making it more accessible and enjoyable (Irmayanti et al., 2025).

Empirical evidence consistently demonstrates that digital storytelling (DST) can positively impact student learning outcomes, engagement, and attitudes across various age groups, educational stages and contexts. The findings suggest that DST’s incorporation of narrative and multimodal elements uniquely supports cognitive, affective, and social dimensions crucial to effective mathematics learning.

4.2.1. Cognitive Outcomes

Cognitive achievement improvements manifest strongly, especially among younger learners. Bratitsis and Mantellou’s (2020) intervention with second graders demonstrated a substantial 58% increase in correct subtraction algorithm solutions following a teacher-designed digital story. Saifi and Lal (2024) similarly discovered significant improvements in foundational numeracy skills among 240 third-grade students exposed to DST, outperforming traditional instruction. The capacity of DST to concretise abstract mathematical ideas by situating them within relatable narratives is well illustrated by Karaoglan Yilmaz et al. (2018), who found that fourth graders corrected misconceptions about fractions and enjoyed the process of learning through digital stories. This concreteness is supported by visual and auditory stimuli that make abstract concepts tangible and memorable (Bratitsis & Mantellou, 2020). Taken together, these results indicate that DST’s multimodal design supports conceptual understanding by embedding abstraction within concrete narrative contexts—bridging procedural fluency and affective engagement.

At the secondary and tertiary levels, DST continues to foster conceptual understanding and positive dispositions. Albano et al. (2024) found that undergraduate mathematics students engaged in topology benefitted from DST-supported activities that enhanced problem-solving, metacognition, and mathematical identity formation. Similarly, Batur and Çakıroğlu’s (2023) study ascribed enhanced statistical reasoning and heightened engagement to DST among high school learners, while Mosia and Egara (2025) reported notable increases in interest in circle geometry among Nigerian senior high school students, particularly males, highlighting that DST’s effect on students may also vary by gender.

DST extends its benefits to learners with special educational needs. Kildan and Incikabi (2015) found that early childhood teacher candidates experienced growth in technological–pedagogical–content knowledge (TPACK) when preparing DST materials, better equipping them to teach children with mild intellectual disabilities. Complementing this, Kumaş (2024) demonstrated that digital story interventions significantly improved early mathematical skills and engagement among young learners with intellectual disabilities, thanks to tailored multimodal and interactive narratives commensurate with their unique learning profiles.

Additional affordances are related to the enhancement of mathematical argumentation and reasoning through DST. Albano et al. (2022) observed DST facilitating a reflective knowledge of mathematical concepts and promoting dialogical negotiation, knowledge construction, and argumentation (a perspective also supported by Istenic Starcic et al., 2016; Pierri, 2022). In particular, interaction among students within DST tasks appears conducive to explanation of reasoning and conjectures, supporting the critical development of argumentative competence (Dello Iacono et al., 2021). Moreover, Sum et al. (2024) highlight how storytelling’s multimodal features provide greater access for students to acquire language-dependent conceptualisations—such as fractions—authentically integrated with mathematical content and real-world contexts.

4.2.2. Affective Outcomes

Beyond cognition, DST profoundly enables affective outcomes vital to sustained mathematics learning. Niemi and Niu (2021) observed that DST boosted students’ self-efficacy by positioning mathematics learning as meaningful and confidence-enhancing, facilitating students’ ability to discuss and engage with mathematical concepts confidently. Chao (2023) identified DST as empowering minority adolescents to reconstruct positive mathematics identities and counter societal stereotypes, aided by relatable narrative characters and psychologically safe learning spaces.

Moreover, DST also plays a critical role in reducing mathematics anxiety and promoting collaborative learning. The review by Irmayanti et al. (2025) reveals that DST is effective across educational stages in reducing math anxiety and motivating learners in Asian school contexts. Emotional richness inherent in digital narratives reframes mathematics as approachable and engaging rather than daunting. Moreover, DST bolsters social and peer relationships by empowering the collective voice of the classroom community and encouraging shared discourse (Di Blas et al., 2010). Empirical studies confirm DST’s capacity to foster social learning: Polo et al. (2019) documented peer and expert interactions within DST environments, emphasising the formation of meaningful social learning networks.

The immersive, collaborative elements of DST further influence student attitudes positively. Albano et al. (2019) suggest that the combination of immersive storytelling, group collaboration, and online interaction can effect attitudinal changes towards mathematics, building motivation and engagement that transcend individual learning encounters. Complementing these findings, other studies report broad improvements in motivation and engagement among mixed student groups, including those with specific learning needs (Bratitsis & Mantellou, 2020; Li et al., 2024).

Summary of Response to RQ2. Overall, many positive findings have been reported regarding students’ engagement with DST in mathematics education. The previous findings indicate that digital storytelling in mathematics education functions as a powerful multimodal narrative approach that concretises abstract ideas, supports conceptual understanding, enhances motivation and active learner engagement, reduces anxiety, fosters collaborative learning, and cultivates positive attitudes and self-efficacy. It operates successfully across educational stages and learner needs, fostering collaborative learning, reducing anxiety, and promoting equitable access. The increasing evidence of DST’s role in community building and mathematical argumentation further reinforces its value as a holistic facilitator of mathematics learning.

4.3. Digital Storytelling and Teachers—Response to RQ3

Findings suggest that digital storytelling (DST) supports teacher learning, preparation, and reflective practice in multifaceted and impactful ways, fostering not only technological and pedagogical competencies but also deeper affective engagement with mathematics as a discipline.

4.3.1. Reflective and Emotional Outcomes

The reviewed literature highlights that DST enables teachers to articulate personal mathematical histories and reflect on their own emotional experiences with mathematics, which frequently shape their instructional attitudes and classroom practices—often unconsciously. Moutsios-Rentzos et al. (2019) demonstrate that when teachers engage with DST centred on personal mathematical histories, they become more aware of emotional barriers and develop empathetic strategies that can better support student learning. Kritikos et al. (2018) similarly observed postgraduate educators who used DST to articulate complex emotions related to their mathematical experiences and to construct their teaching identities. The use of multimodal affordances such as music, narration, and visual elements enabled teachers to deepen both personal and collective meaning-making about mathematics teaching, thus enriching their professional growth beyond mere cognitive understanding to include affective and identity dimensions (Garcia & Rossiter, 2010; Marsico et al., 2019).

4.3.2. Pedagogical and Technological Competencies

In addition to emotional and reflective benefits, DST has significant implications for teachers’ technological–pedagogical–content knowledge (TPACK). Walters et al. (2016, 2018) report that pre-service teachers engaged in creating digital stories that helped them develop a greater awareness of multimodal mathematical representations and improve their digital skills. Participants regarded these digital stories as a “cool” learning tool, enhancing their motivation and perceived readiness to integrate technology into their mathematics teaching. This experiential process of problem-solving through digital storytelling enabled pre-service teachers to better understand the interplay between visual, auditory, and verbal representations in mathematics, deepening their critical thinking and pedagogical planning competence.

Complementing these findings, Istenic Starcic et al. (2016) report that DST helped pre-service teachers develop their mathematical problem-solving skills and the relevant pedagogical competencies.

Additionally, DST’s utility extends beyond pedagogical training into research and professional discourse, especially in understanding and teaching mathematical proof. Deslis et al. (2021, 2024) employed comic-style DST tools to investigate and develop teachers’ knowledge and views about mathematical proof. They found that such narrative forms both enable detailed exploration of teachers’ proof-related professional knowledge and foster reflective practice, ultimately supporting differentiated teacher profiles of motivation and understanding. These studies suggest that DST can serve as a diagnostic and developmental aid in teacher education programs focused on mathematical reasoning and argumentation, but possibly also more broadly in other areas.

4.3.3. Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes

Significantly, DST also reveals and challenges teachers’ views and attitudes towards mathematics and its instruction. Chao et al. (2021) demonstrated that DST provides a platform for teachers to reflect on and potentially refine their teaching beliefs through the narrative externalisation of classroom experiences. This kind of narrative reflection is particularly pertinent given the negative attitudes and anxieties toward mathematics that are common among pre-service and in-service primary and preschool teachers (Moutsios-Rentzos et al., 2019). Through the personal expression, narrative, and multimodal integration offered by DST, teachers can develop more positive and productive affective relationships with the subject, which are critical for fostering better instructional strategies and student outcomes.

Integral to DST’s emotional impact is its capacity to trigger emotional reactions and awaken memories in teachers, fostering identification with story characters and situations. For example, teachers viewing DST representations of classroom episodes often project themselves into the teacher role or see their own students in the narrative characters, particularly when the stories resonate with their lived experiences. This immersive process encourages empathetic reflection and “thinking-in-role,” as noted by Deslis et al. (2021, 2024). Design techniques that facilitate this identification include using characters with generic or non-specific features to allow broad viewer identification (Deslis et al., 2021, 2024) and encouraging teacher-created autobiographical digital stories followed by reflection (Moutsios-Rentzos et al., 2019). Such approaches differentiate DST from less affectively oriented digital narratives by creating emotionally compelling experiences crucial for professional growth.

Furthermore, DST encourages pedagogical innovation and professional growth in multiple dimensions. Teachers frequently report increased confidence in integrating technology and narrative approaches into their instruction, appreciating DST’s potential to personalise learning and engage students actively (Barrett, 2006; Walters et al., 2016, 2018). DST promotes more student-centred and multimodal instructional strategies that respond flexibly to multiple learning needs and contexts (Zhang et al., 2025). This aligns with reports that, with adequate support, even pre-service teachers lacking prior experience can develop both mathematical problem-solving competencies and pedagogical skills required to apply DST effectively (Sen, 2024).

Kukul (2024) reinforces this positive outlook by finding that a majority of pre-service mathematics teachers accept DST enthusiastically, perceive it as easy to use and valuable, and intend to incorporate it into their future classrooms, either by engaging students in DST creation or utilising curated digital stories. This widespread acceptance and intent indicate DST’s promising potential for integration into initial teacher education and ongoing professional development initiatives.

Summary of Response to RQ3. Taking everything into consideration, digital storytelling offers a rich, multifaceted platform for teacher learning and professional preparation. It fosters reflective practices that address emotional and identity aspects of mathematics teaching, enhances technological and pedagogical competencies through multimodal production and application, supports innovative and personalised instruction, and has strong acceptance among pre-service teachers. Through immersive, emotionally resonant narrative experiences, DST differentiates itself as a uniquely potent tool for developing empathetic, competent, and reflective mathematics educators prepared to engage learners with different learning styles and backgrounds effectively.

4.4. Challenges and Opportunities in Integrating Digital Storytelling—Response to RQ4

4.4.1. Challenges

While the body of evidence strongly endorses digital storytelling (DST) as a powerful pedagogical tool, its integration into teaching and learning mathematics is accompanied by several notable challenges as well as promising opportunities. One of the most frequently cited barriers is the considerable time and effort required to create high-quality, mathematically rigorous digital stories. Sen (2024) and Albano and Dello Iacono (2019) acknowledge that novice teachers and pre-service educators often find the DST creation process demanding. This complexity and time intensity can hinder widespread implementation, prompting many educators to prefer using curated or pre-existing digital stories or to involve students collaboratively in DST creation to mitigate workload pressures.

Another important challenge lies in limited teacher awareness of and familiarity with the educational uses of technology, including DST, in mathematics instruction. Past studies highlight that many teacher candidates enter their training without prior exposure to or understanding of how digital technologies can be meaningfully integrated into their classrooms (Islim et al., 2018; Walters et al., 2018). This knowledge gap points to the urgent need for more intentional and structured technology preparation within teacher education programs.

Sen (2024) reports that pre-service teachers value DST for its visual richness and pedagogical utility but simultaneously face challenges regarding the substantial time required for story creation. This tension between perceived benefits and practical difficulties underscores the need for institutional support, accessible digital story repositories, and training that emphasises efficient DST design.

Technology access and digital literacy further emerge as potential constraints, especially in resource-limited or under-resourced settings. The variability in technological infrastructure, alongside disparities in teacher competencies with digital tools, can impact the consistency and quality of DST implementation (Ulutas et al., 2022). Without reliable access or robust professional development, the effectiveness of DST may be compromised.

4.4.2. Opportunities

Nevertheless, several opportunities offer hope for overcoming these challenges. When provided with appropriate support and preparation, teachers recognise the affordances that digital stories provide to actively engage students and facilitate meaningful mathematical knowledge construction (Albano et al., 2022). Walters et al. (2018) found that pre-service teachers, once guided through the process of creating math-based digital stories, discovered DST to be empowering for both their students’ engagement and their own professional growth. Similarly, Istenic Starcic et al. (2016) emphasise DST’s role in fostering mathematical knowledge construction supported by multimodal and interactive media.

Moreover, teachers express willingness to incorporate DST into their teaching when they appreciate these pedagogical benefits. Deslis et al.’s (2021, 2024) sequence of studies reveals that comic-style DST not only facilitates research by helping uncover differentiated profiles of teachers’ mathematical proof knowledge and motivation but also actively supports teachers’ reflective practice. Likewise, other studies document positive teacher attitudes towards DST, with many acknowledging its effectiveness in personalising instruction and promoting student engagement (Islim et al., 2018; Walters et al., 2016).

A revolutionary opportunity lies in AI-powered DST platforms, allowing automated generation and customisation of multimodal mathematical stories. Li et al. (2024) and Zhu et al. (2025) illustrate how generative AI can reduce teachers’ preparation burden while maintaining or enhancing learner engagement and conceptual clarity, thereby widening DST access and facilitating personalised learning that adapts to various student profiles and needs.

DST also demonstrates strong potential to support individuals with special educational needs. The positive outcomes reported by Kumaş (2024) and supported by Kildan and Incikabi (2015) underscore DST as a powerful educational strategy that utilises multimodality and interactivity to meet varied learner profiles. Such interventions can improve understanding of abstract concepts and increase active participation in students who might otherwise be underserved by traditional instruction.

Social and community-building affordances of DST constitute another key opportunity. Polo et al. (2019) found that DST environments foster peer and expert exchanges within learning networks. This supports collaborative learning and the development of professional communities, which in turn promote sustained student engagement. Narrative sharing and reflection processes within DST also encourage social belonging—critical factors for long-term mathematical engagement (Chao et al., 2021; Chao, 2023).

Summary of Response to RQ4. DST’s affordances in amplifying cognitive, affective, and pedagogical dimensions are compelling and well supported by a growing empirical base. These benefits are progressively matched by technological enhancements—especially the emergence of AI-assisted DST creation—that promise to lower traditional barriers. Realising DST’s full potential in mathematics education will require concentrated efforts in teacher training, resource development, and coordinated research agendas that address access, scalability, and varying learner needs. While challenges including time demands, teacher preparedness, and technology access impede some DST adoption, appropriate support, structured preparation, and emerging technologies unlock substantial opportunities. Teachers who experience DST’s benefits become motivated to adopt it, recognising its power to engage students, foster mathematical knowledge construction, and build productive learning communities. With ongoing research and practical investment, DST stands poised to transform mathematics education across various contexts.

5. Conclusions

This systematic review demonstrates that digital storytelling (DST) in mathematics education is not a supplementary activity, but a robust, multimodal pedagogical approach capable of enhancing cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of learning across a wide range of contexts. In its various conceptualisations—whether teacher-authored, student-generated, or AI-assisted—DST consistently serves as a vehicle to contextualise abstract mathematical ideas, orchestrate classroom discussions, and promote engagement through narrative and multimodal representation. It typically aligns with constructivist and sociocultural perspectives, fostering both individual meaning-making and collaborative discourse.

For students, evidence from early childhood through tertiary education confirms that DST concretises abstract concepts, improves conceptual understanding, and strengthens mathematical reasoning. It can support all learners—including those from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and those with special educational needs—by integrating mathematics with accessible, engaging narratives. DST has been shown to reduce mathematics anxiety, foster positive attitudes and self-efficacy, and build collaborative classroom communities. It also facilitates language development where mathematics learning is language-intensive, as in fraction instruction for multilingual learners, and promotes higher-order skills such as argumentation and metacognition.

For teachers, DST can offer a multifaceted professional learning tool that develops technological–pedagogical–content knowledge (TPACK; Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Mishra, 2019), promotes reflective practice, and strengthens affective engagement with mathematics. Through autobiographical and classroom-based narratives, teachers can critically examine their beliefs, emotions, and identities as mathematics educators, enabling more empathetic and student-centred instruction. Although time demands and technical complexity can be barriers, most pre-service and in-service teachers value DST’s pedagogical affordances and express willingness to integrate it into practice, particularly when provided with training, support, and access to curated or co-created resources.

Challenges remain in scaling DST, especially regarding teacher preparation, technology access, and sustained institutional support. However, emerging AI-powered platforms present a transformative opportunity to automate and personalise story creation, reducing workload and broadening access. Community-building affordances and integration with collaborative online environments further extend DST’s potential to meet different learner needs and strengthen professional learning networks.

Taken together, the evidence positions DST as a powerful, adaptable approach for reimagining mathematics education as engaging and narratively rich. Realising this potential will require ongoing research—particularly longitudinal and large-scale studies—alongside systemic investment in teacher education, technological infrastructure, and resource development. With these supports in place, DST can act as a catalyst for both innovative pedagogy and meaningful engagement with mathematics.

Limitations in the research to date should be acknowledged. Research to date has often involved small-scale or short-term studies, many of which appear to lack standardised reporting across outcomes and insufficient longitudinal data to establish DST’s long-term impacts on mathematical learning and teacher practice. This review included only peer-reviewed English-language publications, which may have excluded relevant regional research. Furthermore, the expansion of the search in other databases may help in gaining deeper insights into the complexity mapped in our study. No clear evidence of publication bias was observed, although most studies reported positive impacts of digital storytelling. Building more comprehensive resource repositories and pursuing systematic integration of DST within curricular standards are critical next steps for the field, which may also reveal less positive aspects of its implementation.

Future research directions may address some of the key gaps identified in the current evidence base. These may include the following: (a) longitudinal studies tracking the sustained impact of DST on mathematical achievement, attitudes, and identity formation over time; (b) comparative studies exploring DST’s effectiveness across different mathematical domains, cultural contexts, and educational levels; (c) scalability research investigating cost-effective, sustainable models for DST integration in under-resourced settings; (d) teacher professional development studies examining the most effective training designs, support mechanisms, and resource-sharing models for DST adoption; (e) AI-assisted DST research assessing the pedagogical quality, adaptability, and ethical implications of generative AI in mathematics storytelling. It is posited that by pursuing such avenues, the field may expand from relatively localised successes toward robust and scalable DST frameworks embedded in mathematics education for students and teachers.

In sum, this systematic review offers a comprehensive, evidence-based synthesis that advances theoretical and pedagogical understanding of digital storytelling within mathematics education. It integrates findings from diverse contexts to conceptualise DST as both an instructional innovation and a reflective medium that bridges multimodal representation, emotional engagement, and mathematical reasoning. By unifying insights across empirical and theoretical studies, the review delineates the mechanisms through which DST can support conceptual understanding, affective engagement, students’ active involvement, and teachers’ professional growth. Furthermore, it establishes a consolidated framework to guide future research and practice, positioning DST as a scientifically grounded and transformative approach to reimagining mathematics learning and teaching in the digital era.