Digital Stories of Resilience: A Case Study of Urban Community College English Learners

This study utilizes a qualitative case study approach to learn how project-based, digital storytelling (DST) voices the resilience of post-secondary English language learners (ELLs) attending a minority-serving, open-access, community college in New York City. Along with many studies that have examined the usefulness of DST in oral production, this research investigates whether project-based digital storytelling enhances students’ understanding of academic content related to resilience and conventional composition. Narrative inquiry (NI) research technique is the basis of the digital story project in an English as a Second Language (ESL) course. In this case, the study relies on observations and artifacts to analyze six focal cases, using a framework derived from social constructivism and resilience theory. The study elicits data through focused observations, content analysis of story mapping, oral presentations, reflective responses, and discourse analysis. There are gaps in existing literature relevant to studies of digital storytelling among adult English learners who recently moved to the United States. Therefore, this study aims to find a place in the broader landscape. The clear heart of the study is the focal cases. The students’ stories are touching and contribute to an impactful experience for all participants, which speaks to the importance of the study more generally. The focal cases synthesize the theoretical aspects of resilience theory and social constructivism as established in the descriptions of activities. The findings show that by making meaning of experiences through storytelling, the participants and the audience share a genuine, meaningful connection and develop a deeper understanding of resilience. Digital storytelling improves the speaking and grammatical skills of adult ESL students and the comprehension of resilience theory as it relates to the individual student and sociologically.