The present study focuses on the study of suspense in the context of exploring the experiences of preschool children in their interaction with a form of digital story, connecting suspense with the enjoyment of learning. The study seeks to contribute to the expansion of research into the user experience in the fields of new (interactive) media, as the conception and empirical evaluation of the way in which listeners, and in particular young children, respond to a (interactive) digital story is not developed. The sample consisted of 32 children of kindergarten and pre-kindergarten age, who, after being divided into two groups, were exposed to listening to a different form of the same digital aloud reading: interactive and non-interactive. The measurement of suspense was based on the verbal (use of language, making noise) and non-verbal (facial expressions, physical movement, gestures, touching) reactions of toddlers, which are manifestations of their involvement in the outcome of the story. Verbal and non-verbal behaviors were videotaped during digital reading aloud. The data were coded for each child at one-minute intervals, examining the simultaneous behavior and then collected, to determine the frequency measurements of the individual toddler behaviors by type in each form of digital narrative. The results show that a) digital storytelling in both listening conditions caused intense suspense in preschool children as it is a narrative adventure that has the structure of a story of agony,b)there are no significant differences between the two listening conditions, c) linearity of the narrative, the role of the user and the degree of his interaction with the digital story are reduced to important factors that increase suspense and enjoyment. Further research could be related to the investigation of toddlers’ reactions when the interaction is presented as a challenge or a game, when it is reduced to (re) -creation and when it enhances the experience of the story by the user taking on a role in the plot of the narrative.
Keywords: Suspense, Enjoyment, Interaction with Digital Story