Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Qualitative Research

Introduction - In today's information-rich world, media literacy is increasingly vital, and closely linked to citizenship. While access and comprehension are widely studied dimensions, creation is equally relevant and rich. Media creation reflects an individual's confidence and interest in producing content (OFCOM, 2008), and promotes new opportunities to communicate, express ideas and opinions - participating through diverse media languages and formats (Jenkins et al, 2006; Livingstone, 2003; Pereira, Pinto, et al., 2015). Delving into media creation can be pertinent for research in the Communication Sciences field, providing insights into how individuals engage with and shape the evolving media landscape, reflecting upon cultural/ societal contexts, and understanding their world views and citizenship dynamics.
Goals and Methods - Researching adolescents’ citizenship perspectives and experiences in formal educational contexts can be challenging. This paper addresses the methodological/ ethical options underlying an action research project that aimed to reflect on the use of digital narratives (DN) in school as a tool to teach and explore citizenship perceptions. DN served the purpose of engaging adolescents in a reflective learning process based on creation-practices and their experiences. DN also were employed as a data collection tool, supporting qualitative-based research to extract meanings from the youth’s digital creations.
Results - By taking as a starting point themes from curricula closely related to contemporaneity and teenagers' lives, DN allow exploring interests, perceptions, and beliefs. By fostering an environment for discussion and sharing, the implementation of an arts-based method promoted the engagement of all research participants in a mutual and shared process of growth and learning.
Conclusions - Active, collaborative, and creative methods enhance individual’s role of active researchers and highlights their agency in research focused on their lives. These methods also allow to value and give a voice, reinforcing qualitative research focused on people’s experience and perceptions.