‘All stories bring hope because stories bring awareness’: students’ perceptions of digital storytelling for social justice education

• DOI: 10.15700/201412052108
• Publication Date: 2014-12-05T23:23:12Z
• Authors: Daniela Gachago; Janet Condy; Eunice Ivala; Agnes Chigona
• Keywords: Social justice education; LC8-6691; 4. Education; 05 social sciences; Digital storytelling; Education (General); Digital stories; social justice education; 16. Peace & justice; Pre-service teacher education; digital storytelling; Special aspects of education; pre-service teacher education; capabilities approach; Capabilities approach; capabilities approach; digital stories; digital storytelling; pre-service teacher education; social justice education; digital stories; L7-991; 10. No inequality; 0503 education

Although becoming a more racially-integrated society, the legacy of Apartheid still affects learners’ social engagements in and outside their classrooms. Adopting Nussbaum’s (2010) capabilities framework for a socially just democracy, this paper examines 27 pre-service teacher education students’ perceptions of a digital storytelling project and its potential for recognising and honouring capabilities necessary for engaging empathetically with the ‘other’. Using narrative inquiry, and specifically Bamberg’s (2006) ‘small stories’ approach, the research team analysed 30 stories students constructed in four focus group conversations at the end of the project. In these stories, most of Nussbaum’s (2010) capabilities were evident. We found that, in the collective sharing of their stories, students positioned themselves as agentive selves, displaying the belief that they can make a difference, not only individually within their own classrooms, but also as a collective of teachers.Keywords: capabilities approach; digital stories; digital storytelling; pre-service teacher education; social justice education