The article Digital Storytelling With Youth From Refugee Backgrounds: Possibilities

for Language and Digital Literacy Learning published in Tesol Quarterly in 2022

discusses the potential for digital storytelling to enhance the digital and language

literacy of culturally and linguistically diverse refugee students in Canadian high

schools. The study involves a qualitative, ethnographic case study of nine youth in an

English language learning classroom, which aimed to answer the research question

about the potential for digital storytelling to enable more autonomous language

learning and identity affirmation. The authors used participant observation, informal

conversations, semi-structured interviews, and student artifacts to collect data, which

they analyzed thematically and using multimodal/visual analysis.

The study identified four interweaving themes: the use of multimodal meaning

making to communicate complex, critical understandings; the emergence of digital

literacies; challenges of communicating in digital spaces; and investment in identity

affirmation in language learning. The authors found that digital storytelling as an

innovative pedagogy has the potential to create space within the curriculum for stories

that have deep meaning for learners.

The methodology used in this study is appropriate for the research question and the

goals of the study. The authors used a qualitative, ethnographic case study approach

that involved participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and the analysis of

student artifacts, such as digital portfolios, storyboards, and final digital stories. The
data collected through these methods provided a rich description of the ways in which

digital storytelling can enable more autonomous language learning and identity

affirmation among youth from refugee backgrounds.

One strength of the methodology used in this study is the attention paid to the context

of the students' lives and the ways in which their experiences informed their digital

storytelling practices. The authors used a thematic analysis approach that focused on

identifying patterns in the data and exploring the relationships between the students'

digital stories and their lives and literacies. This approach allowed the authors to

provide a nuanced and detailed account of the potential for digital storytelling to

support language learning and identity affirmation among this population of students.

Another strength of the methodology is the use of multimodal analysis to explore the

ways in which the students used different modes to tell their stories. This approach

allowed the authors to go beyond traditional linguistic analysis and consider the role

of visual, musical, and other modes in the students' digital storytelling practices. This

is particularly important given the emphasis on digital literacies in the study and the

ways in which youth from refugee backgrounds may have different experiences with

and perspectives on digital technologies.

One potential limitation of the methodology is the small sample size. The study

involved nine youth in an English language learning classroom, and while the authors
argue that this is sufficient for a qualitative case study, it may limit the generalizability

of the findings. Additionally, the study focused on a specific context (Canadian high

schools) and population (youth from refugee backgrounds), which may limit the

transferability of the findings to other contexts or populations.

The findings of the study are relevant and timely, given the increasing numbers of

refugee students in Canadian high schools and the challenges they face in learning

English as a second language. The use of digital storytelling as an innovative

pedagogy that draws on the youths' everyday meaning making and digital literacies to

engage English learners in academic learning is an exciting possibility. The study's

emphasis on the importance of investment in language and literacy learning, as well

as identity affirmation, is a crucial aspect of the digital storytelling approach.

Overall, the article "Digital Storytelling With Youth From Refugee Backgrounds:

Possibilities for Language and Digital Literacy Learning" is a valuable contribution to

the field of language learning and digital literacy. The study's methodology is sound,

and the findings are relevant and timely. The authors' emphasis on the importance of

investment in language and literacy learning and identity affirmation is particularly

noteworthy. The study's focus on the convergences of the various contexts of students'

lives and their use of different modes to tell their stories is a valuable contribution to

the field of digital storytelling and language learning. The authors have successfully

demonstrated the potential of digital storytelling as an innovative pedagogy that

creates space within the curriculum for stories that have deep meaning for learners.

Reference:

1. Kendrick, Early, M., Michalovich, A., & Mangat, M. (2022). Digital Storytelling

With Youth From Refugee Backgrounds: Possibilities for Language and Digital

Literacy Learning. TESOL Quarterly, 56(3), 961–984.

https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3146