Fostering cross-curricular digital competence with ArcGIS StoryMaps: a secondary education case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/estgeogr.2025.1202Keywords:
secondary education, digital competence, interdisciplinary assessment, Geography, StoryMaps, technology integrationAbstract
Due to the recent enhancement of the educational legislation in Spain, and, consequently, in Catalonia, a pivotal role of the transversal digital competence in compulsory secondary education has been elevated. While the importance of digital literacy has been widely recognised, some researchers claim that its practical extension to the school context should be explored more in detail. The current paper presents a case of implementation of a cross-curricular learning situation — centered on Geography and supported by Catalan and English — for third-year compulsory education students in Catalonia and examines the acquisition of digital competence through StoryMaps, a digital story mapping (DSM) tool on the ArcGIS Online platform. Employing an action research approach, the integration of ArcGIS StoryMaps into instructional scenarios was quantified through three instruments: a student survey, a teacher questionnaire, and student grades derived from a customized assessment rubric. Results indicate strong endorsement from both students and teachers regarding StoryMaps’ capacity to foster engagement, content understanding, and skill extension— confirming its high applicability in interdisciplinary contexts. These findings affirm the tool’s effectiveness in enhancing transversal digital competence in secondary education while highlighting the value of digital storytelling tools in curriculum design. However, the limited sample size and the focus on a single competence domain constrain the generalizability of results. Future research should include larger, more diverse cohorts and explore the application of StoryMaps across additional competences and subject areas.
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