Development of children's creativity and attitudes toward block play within a STEAM-based digital storytelling learning environment

This study examines the integration of digital storytelling (DST) and block play within a STEAM-inspired framework to support preschool children’s creativity and learning attitudes. This study uniquely combines DST with hands-on block construction to support embodied, symbolic, and narrative creativity. Thirty children (aged 5–6) participated in a 32-week program combining narrative construction, block building, and digital media production. Quantitative data indicated a moderate positive correlation between creativity and learning attitudes, with boys showing greater interest and satisfaction. Qualitative observations further highlighted improvements in storytelling fluency, peer collaboration, and emotional engagement. This study contributes new insight into early childhood digital pedagogy by demonstrating how DST can be developmentally adapted and integrated into physical play environments. We recommend future research with larger and comparative samples to strengthen causal claims and refine gender-responsive instructional design.