Abstract:

Although data storytelling has become popular especially in recent years, there is a lack of systematic review informing how it is grounded, applied, and its implications in the field of education. This paper presents a systematic review of studies on the use of data storytelling in education. Three research questions (RQ) guided this review: RQ1. What are the ‘Data Storytelling’ research trends in terms of demographics? RQ2.How is data storytelling grounded in education? RQ3. What are the elements of educational data storytelling? RQ4. What are the implications of data storytelling in education? For this purposes, the PRISMA flow chart was used for the systematic literature review process. The Web of Science (WOS), ERIC, and SCOPUS databases were used for educational searches. A total of 58 studies (WOS: 7, ERIC: 21, Scopus: 35) were reached when the educational and English language filtered search was performed, without any year limitation. The inclusion criterion was that the article was a research article written in English in an educational context. Studies that are not directly related to the subject of data storytelling, whose full text cannot be accessed, and which are reviews, conference papers, or book/book chapters are excluded. When the records were assessed for eligibility, 8 studies were included and examined in detail. Although data storytelling research started in the early 2000s, analysis shows that research articles in education started in 2017 and are limited. It is seen that the data storytelling studies were carried out with secondary school, high school, and higher education students, teachers, and academicians. Data storytelling can be grounded as a technique of compressing information to effectively communicate important insights through data visualization. It combines data analysis, visualization, and narrative to enhance understanding, inspire action, and encourage collaboration. The key principles of data storytelling include being goal-oriented, directing the audience's attention, selecting appropriate visuals, and following core principles of information visualization design. Data storytelling design elements can be briefly listed as follows: Prescriptive title, highlighting data series, highlighting data points, decluttering, narrative text, and shaded area.

The use of data storytelling in education has various implications for both educators and students, such as engaging with data science, supporting sense-making creation, and developing problem-solving and analytical thinking skills. As a result, it can be argued that this systematic review can be a guide for educational scientists, practitioners, researchers, and interdisciplinary data scientists.

Keywords:

Data Storytelling, Data Visualization, Education, Systematic Review.