Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Digital storytelling (DST), the composing of 2–3 minute first‐person digital multimodal narratives, integrating photographs, video clips, voice‐over, text, and music related to personal experiences, is arguably one of the most powerful forms of digital multimodal composing (DMC). Expanding the range of modes (e.g., images, sounds, multiple languages) through which they can share their personal experiences, DST can be particularly transformative for refugee‐background youth. As GenAI is increasingly integrated into DMC practices, its potential impact on DST, particularly for refugee‐background youth, needs to be examined. Guided by sociomaterial and multimodal approaches to literacies, this empirical, qualitative case study examines the perceptions of seven Canadian English as an Additional Language teachers regarding GenAI‐integrated DST for the education of refugee‐background youth, through engaging the teachers in their own GenAI‐integrated DST. Our reflexive thematic analysis resulted in two key themes: (1) A reimagined, transformative composing process; (2) concerns about human–AI entanglement in DST. Teachers highlighted how GenAI‐integrated DST with refugee‐background learners, while holding transformative potential, requires carefully sequenced and critically scaffolded pedagogy that begins from learners' own voices, languages, experiences, and relationships, prioritizing their sense of identity, safety, and human connection. We discuss results and implications for educators, teacher educators, and researchers.
Source: TESOL Quarterly
DOI: 10.1002/tesq.70217
Authors: Amir Michalovich, Shawn Porteous
Institution: University of Manitoba
Language: English
Subfield: Speech and Hearing
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,850
OpenAlex ID: W7204102629