A design-based instructional model integrating digital storytelling for creative thinking skills in Chinese Higher Education

Digital Storytelling has gained attention in higher education; however, most studies treat it primarily as a pedagogical intervention rather than a multimedia design practice. As a result, insufficient attention has been given to how narrative construction, multimodal orchestration, and instructional sequencing interact to support creative thinking, leading to a lack of process-explicit and design-oriented frameworks in digital storytelling research. This study proposes the Digital Storytelling for Creative Thinking Skills (DSCTS) model which reconceptualizes digital storytelling as a process-oriented multimodal narrative design system. The model explicates how creative thinking is embedded in digital storytelling workflows by linking narrative ideation, multimodal composition, and iterative refinement to creative thinking dimensions informed by the 3P framework. Grounded in constructivist learning principles and operationalized through the ADDIE model and project-based learning. Adopting a Design Science Research (DSR) paradigm, the study followed a multistage process that included a comprehensive literature review, a preliminary instructor study, expert evaluation, prototyping and iterative refinement. An eight-week intervention with 31 students was conducted to evaluate DSCTS model effectiveness. Quantitative Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) results showed a statistically significant improvement in creative thinking skills. Qualitative feedback, also indicates that the model supported coherent multimedia storytelling design and enhanced students’ engagement in narrative development and iterative creative processes. Despite limitations related to sample size, disciplinary scope, and intervention duration, this study provides a foundation for future research to refine and extend process-oriented digital storytelling frameworks across diverse narrative and design contexts.