Middle School Bilingual Learners' Self-Expression and Reflective Learning Through Digital Stories

• In Event: 64.086 - MTCC Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 64.086-4 - Voicing Bi/Multilingual Identities

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions and experiences of middle school students who used digital storytelling to shape their identities and to reflect on their experiences in a year-end capstone project. The project followed experiential learning principles, connecting hands-on experiences to reflection on those experiences during the capstone project. Based on data analysis using multiple case study methods, the findings indicate that bilingual learners considered the capstone project a positive learning experience, helping to connect what they learned during the semester to real life experiences, and that they used digital stories successfully to reflect upon those experiences, their home cultures, and their identities.

Authors

• Deoksoon Kim, Boston College

• Yinru Long, Boston College

• Yi Zhao, Boston College

• Shuyue Zhou, Boston College

• Fang Jia, Boston College