ERIC Number: EJ1027122
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Jul
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0044-118X
EISSN: N/A
Using Digital Stories to Understand the Lives of Alaska Native Young People
Wexler, Lisa; Eglinton, Kristen; Gubrium, Aline
Youth & Society, v46 n4 p478-504 Jul 2014
To better understand how young Alaska Native (Inupiaq) people are creatively responding to the tensions of growing up in a world markedly different from that of their parents and grandparents, the pilot study examined youth-produced digital stories as representations of their everyday lives, values, and identities. Two hundred and seventy-one youth--produced digital stories were examined and assigned descriptive attributes; of these, 31 stories were selected and subjected to a more rigorous coding and a thematic analysis. Findings fall into three main categories: self-representation, sites of achievement, and relationships. Participants' digital stories overwhelmingly depicted positive self-images that included both codified cultural values and pop cultural images to construct novel forms of cultural identity. The gendered depictions of achievement signal a need for more varied, valued, and accessible avenues for success for boys. Lastly, relationships were prominent in the stories, but there was an absence of young adult role models, particularly men, in the stories.
Descriptors: Alaska Natives, Story Telling, Indigenous Knowledge, Pilot Projects, Youth, Cultural Influences, Gender Issues, Acculturation, Identification (Psychology), Ethnicity, Rural Areas, Personal Narratives, Video Technology, Multimedia Materials, Middle School Students, High School Students, Workshops, Coding, Interpersonal Relationship, Self Concept, Achievement
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Alaska
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A