On the possibilities of digital storytelling and reflective reports in the formation of FL teachers’ narrative competence

Abstract

Relevance. The article describes an action research study on the use of digital storytelling and narrative reflective reports as tools for developing future foreign language teachers’ narrative competence. Purpose. The central purpose was to experiment ways of formation foreign language teachers’ narrative competence in context-based teaching. Methodology. The study involved 68 students of pedagogical faculty of foreign languages. Participants were divided into two groups: 34 third year students who have been involved in narrative project and 34 freshmen of master’s. Throughout their pedagogical practice, the third-year students practiced the course of digital storytelling and writing reflective reports. DS focuses on the students’ own personal experiences in the process of multimedia project creation and implies shaping of the story as well as sharing it with others. Through systematic reflection and analysis, students can develop reflexive and critical awareness, which can also provide the benefit of a documentation of their own professional development. In terms of developing reflective reports, authors revealed that future foreign language teachers are encouraged to examine their story-making processes productively, to create and re-create fresh accounts from different perspectives. Results and Conclusions. The results provide evidence indicating that students’ personal narratives guide classroom activities through the continuum of educational process. Creating narratives, students are cognitively involved, they pay attention to the crucial moments and results, analyzing and looking at themselves critically, developing narrative competence. The implications of these findings in relation to the foreign language teachers are also presented.