Combining critical linguistics methods and novel pedagogies: Digital storytelling and discourse analysis for social change

This paper aims to present an exploratory study based on the combination of Digital Storytelling (DST) and Discourse Analysis (DA) in a semester-long English Language and Linguistics undergraduate course for developing and enhancing students’ 21st Century Skills and evaluating the role played by the integration of these methodologies in promoting young learners’ activist role for social change. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed through descriptive statistics, computer-assisted qualitative content analysis, and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, 1989; van Dijk, 1996, 2014). Accordingly, this study aims to shed light on the benefits and effectiveness of combining critical linguistics methods like DA and novel pedagogies such as DST to promote 21st-century students’ social agency and competencies.