The results of this study are presented according to the established analysis criteria. First, the articles published by time period, that means, by years. Table 1 shows a progressive annual increase in production, being 2021 the year with the most pronounced increase.
The number of citations of the articles varies greatly, and it does not exist any pattern of behaviour or correlation between the dates of publication and the impact of the articles. Although, in general cases, older articles tend to have a higher number of citations, in this case, the two most outstanding articles were published in 2021. Among all the selected production, it can be highlighted one paper that reaches more than sixty citations, and seven others with figures greater than or equal to twenty citations (see Table 2).
The third indicator refers to authorship, and it allows to identify the researchers who have contributed the most to the field under study. The table below includes their names and institutional affiliation, where it can be observed a large representation from countries as Australia or Malaysia, a country that, together with Thailand, leads their research at universities focused on technological development. This data is corroborated when the data is confronted with institutions that stand out in research on Storytelling (see Table 4).
As far as it concerns the production by countries, United States leads the first position with 21 contributions, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia. Spain occupies the fourth position in the table with a contribution of 14 articles, the same number as Australia.
Observing the lines of research related to Storytelling, it can be noticed that its study is approached from different disciplines. Although the focus of the research has always a pedagogical perspective, its scientific treatment is carried out from a multidisciplinary perspective (see Table 6).
Lastly, the fields of study and the contents from which the different articles published were approached were also analyzed, that is, those fields with the greatest interest in the use of stories as a didactic resource. Social Sciences, Computer Sciences and Arts and Humanities were the most productive fields. It is relevant to highlight that if Medicine and related fields as Health Sciences or Psychology were considered as a whole, they would occupy the third place in the rating. This is due to the large number of case studies that these sciences use for both, teaching and contrasting information in their work performance.
In addition to this quantitative review, a documentary review was carried out to identify the most studied thematic lines in each of the main fields of study. The analyzed works could be organized into three large blocks. First, those focused on the learning process and that use story-related techniques to improve the didactic process. Within this area, it can be found a great trend to transfer the classical models of storytelling to new media and technologies. Secondly, there is a large production of works focused on the transmission of values, environmental awareness, inclusion, and the need to eliminate technological, social, and ethnic barriers. Finally, it can be found a line dedicated to the use of storytelling as a therapeutic channel, using its strategies and resources to improve people's physical and mental health.
Regarding the most addressed topics in the pedagogical field, there is a growing interest in the scientific community to build stories that contribute to the successful application of the so-called active methodologies in the classroom. Thus, the terms Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning or Cooperative Learning, are common in the analyzed works. Similarly, there is also a large volume of references concerning the use of technology and digital resources as work tools. In this sense, the terms "Robot", "Digital Narrative", "Digital Map", "Social Media", "Mobile Devices", or "Augmented Reality" are the most frequently mentioned.
With respect to works focused on awareness, “Sustainable Development” concept is the most repeated one. Also, it has been identified a great interest in what refers to the creation of strategies aimed at curbing climate change, the inclusion of minorities and the preservation of intangible heritage of different cultures. A notable production focused on the attempt to reduce digital divide and to promote opportunities equality.
In the field of Health, the main focuses of interest were positioned around concepts such as patient accompaniment, the study of success stories in Medicine, children care with autism spectrum disorders, psychological therapies with animals and art, and self-esteem reinforcement.
From all the specific areas of knowledge, two major trends were found. The first one concerning the concept "Transmedia Storytelling", understood as a process in which the integral elements of a story are systematically dispersed across multiple distribution channels in order to create a unified and coordinated entertainment experience (Jenkins, 2010). The other focus of interest is related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerning this, several articles emphasize the need to structure the narrative to keep the attention of students during the "e-Learning" or "Distance Learning" process, as well as the importance of using technology to reach this.
Lastly, it must be mentioned the two other fields that are present in a large number of studies and that are also becoming very popular, "Intelligent Learning Environments" and "Augmented Reality".
From the methodological point of view, there is a majority of mixed studies, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. Among them, ethnographic studies stand out. With respect to research concerning health sciences, it is noted that there is a large scientific production in the shape of case studies.