Inclusive digital storytelling: tools for self-recognition in Italian primary education
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Digital storytelling, self-awareness, inclusive education
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Abstract
In contemporary education, fostering employability has become a priority to ensure a meaningful future for all individuals. The Life Designing paradigm offers an approach based on adaptability and autobiographical narrative to support resilient identities and life planning. In the Italian educational context, increasing emphasis is placed on inclusive practices and career guidance, particularly in fostering self-awareness and future planning from early education. Within this framework, narrative emerges as a key educational tool for promoting self-awareness and self-realisation. By assigning meaning to personal experiences, narrative enables critical reflection and facilitates the identification of resources essential for addressing future challenges. This theoretical-conceptual contribution presents the pedagogical rationale and early design of an inclusive app for digital storytelling, designed according to Universal Design for Learning. It guides students, including those with disabilities, in constructing a “competence tree”, a metaphorical framework comprising roots (origins), trunk (personal essence), branches (learning opportunities), and leaves (achievements and aspirations). Its intuitive interface integrates assistive technologies, such as speech synthesis, to ensure accessibility. By reviewing the literature on narrative, employability, and inclusive methodologies, this contribution explores the potential of digital storytelling as an educational tool in primary schools. Rather than reporting empirical results, the article aims to systematise the main theoretical foundations underpinning the prototype and to outline its educational and inclusive potential. The proposed app is discussed as a promising inclusive design proposal, while its empirical validation is left to future research.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rosa Sgambelluri, Francesca Placanica, Marianna Capo
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