[DSRP Evidence](https://dsrpevidence.org/)

# Stories and systems: educational interactive storytelling to foster media literacy and systemic thinking

## Details

**Authors** Roth et al.

**Year** 2026

**Publisher** Pedagogy, Culture & Society (Taylor & Francis)

**Kind of work** article

**Discipline** Education

**Secondary disciplines** Sociology

**Reading level** technical

**Kind of engagement** scholarly

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2026.2678550) 
10.1080/14681366.2026.2678550

## In authors' words

### Abstract

In an era of super-complexity, where wicked problems resist straightforward solutions and the very frameworks for producing knowledge are contested, transformative learning is not a pedagogical option but a necessity. Without the capacity for systemic, transdisciplinary thinking, learners risk being overwhelmed by information complexity, susceptible to misinformation, and unable to act meaningfully on the challenges they face. This paper argues that Interactive Digital Narratives (IDNs) offer a distinctive pedagogical instrument for bridging this gap: by immersing learners in nonlinear, perspective-shifting narrative experiences, IDNs can cultivate the critical literacies and systemic sensibilities transformative learning requires. However, realising this potential demands a principled framework for design and implementation. We introduce two connected contributions: the concept of Systemic Learning IDNs, which narrative experiences explicitly designed support learners in exploring complex systems, and CLASS framework, a structured model integrating systems thinking, design and interactive storytelling to guide their creation and use. Applying CLASS contrasting case studies, a commercial narrative simulation and student-developed educational prototype, we demonstrate how IDNs be designed deployed to foster media literacy, systemic thinking, and collaborative problem-solving across disciplinary contexts. The paper offers both conceptual grounding and practical recommendations for educators seeking to implement transformative, systems-oriented learning increasingly complex world.

### What they set out to do (purpose)

The authors examined how interactive digital narratives can be used to help learners understand complex systems, evaluate information, explore competing perspectives, and reason through the consequences of decisions. They developed the CLASS framework, which integrates systems thinking, design thinking, and interactive storytelling, and applied it to two narrative simulations used for learning.

### What they found (results)

The authors show how “Systemic Learning IDNs” can create learning environments where students explore interdependencies, multiple perspectives, trade-offs, and systemic consequences through experience rather than instruction alone. Their CLASS framework emphasizes curiosity, lens & scope, agency, scaffolds, and sandboxes as conditions that support systemic understanding, perspective-taking, reflective judgment, and media literacy.

## Commentary

### In short

Builds DSRP into the CLASS framework, a transdisciplinary model combining systems thinking, design thinking and storytelling for teaching media literacy.

### Response

Builds DSRP into the CLASS framework, combining systems thinking, design thinking and storytelling for teaching media literacy, in Pedagogy, Culture & Society.

**Patterns it shows** D, S, R, P

**Added** 2026-08-14

**How to cite this** Roth et al. (2026). Stories and systems: educational interactive storytelling to foster media literacy and systemic thinking. Pedagogy, Culture & Society (Taylor & Francis).