Digital Storytelling: A Tool for Identifying and Developing Cultural Competence with Preservice Teachers in an Introduction to Middle Level Education Course

Oct 15, 2026

Digital storytelling is used with preservice teachers in an upper-level introduction to middle grade education course to identify and develop cultural competence. The study applies themes connected to a diversity intensive learning experience and examines how cultural competence forms across personal identity products and preservice teachers’ beliefs about students and schooling. Findings emphasize reflection and intentional technology use as an initial stage of teacher licensure. The work is framed by equitable classroom principles and culturally responsive teaching standards.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Digital Storytelling and Cultural Competence

Rationale and Framework

Background: University Diversity Initiatives

Course Structure and Diversity Intensive Goals

CIMLE Current Issues in Middle Level Education (2017) 22(1), 31-36 Digital Storytelling: A Tool for Identifying and Developing Cultural Competence with Preservice Teachers in an Introduction to Middle Level Education Course Nancy Ruppert Lee T. Adcock Jared Crave University of North Carolina Asheville Using five themes associated with a diversity intensive undergraduate course, preservice teachers in an upper level introduction to middle grade course described their knowledge of cultural competence using digital storytelling as the tool. Findings suggest digital storytelling provides a tool to explore and describe how cultural competence is developedfrom personal identity products topreservice teachers’ beliefs as they relate to students in schools. Culture plays a significant role in a child’s identity and selfesteem (Powell, 2010) . One of the four essential attributes in middle level design is the notion of a classroom, a school is equitable. According to the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), equitable means “advocating for and ensuring every student’s right to learn and providing appropriately challenging and relevant learning opportunities for every student” (NMSA, 2010, p. 13) . Professional Teaching Standards that guide middle level education call for middle level teachers who “understand the complexity of teaching young adolescents, and they engage in practices and behaviors that develop their competence as professionals” (Powell, 2010, p. 12) . Stanford University faculty designed an assessment tool for preservice teachers that focuses on knowledge of students, planning, and assessment. One of the elements for getting to know their students involves analyzing students intellectually, culturally, based on their interests, and how they are engaged in the community. So where do those of us who teach in a college begin? Ladson-Billings (1995) stated, “Culturally relevant teachers utilize students' culture as a vehicle for learning” (p.161) . This manuscript highlights a current project that highlights one university’s efforts to foster cultural competence in a teacher licensure program. Identifying a need for deep and meaningful exploration of one’s personal identity the authors are using digital storytelling as a reflective tool for personal and professional growth. Inherent in the project is a belief that before a preservice teacher can meaningfully connect with students they must first understand their own complex identities and how those identities impact what teachers bring into the class- room (Giroux, 1992; Landsman, 2008) . In addition, given that almost 80% of teachers are white women and the student demographic is changing rapidly to a minoritymajority, it is imperative that we create teachers who are culturally responsive (Center on Educational Policy, 2012) Thus, this project evolved out of past failures to foster cultural competence (write a paper about cultural competence, read a book and reflect on your own cultural competence) which often resulted in superficial experiences and products. The tool we used to capture teachers’ views was digital storytelling. Digital storytelling has recently gained traction in the classroom as a way to diversify and expand curricular opportunities for students in K-12 education (Sadik, 2008). Adapting digital storytelling pedagogy, this study seeks to develop and nurture preservice teachers’ own cultural competence and teacher identity, while fostering technology efficacy. The author acknowledge that cultural competence “doesn't occur as a result of a single day of training, or reading a book, or taking a course”(NEA, 2016) . However, we believe that the initial phases of teacher licensure can be a productive site for examining cultural competence development through meaningful and intentional reflection via digital storytelling. Background The University of North Carolina Asheville is a public liberal arts undergraduate institution. In t

FAQs

How does the study use digital storytelling to develop cultural competence?

Preservice teachers described their knowledge of cultural competence through digital storytelling, using personal identity products and reflective connections to their beliefs about students in schools.

What is the key rationale for focusing on cultural competence during teacher licensure?

The work argues that meaningful connections with students require preservice teachers to first understand their own complex identities, and that initial licensure phases are a productive site for intentional reflection.

What background initiative supports the course context described in the paper?

UNC Asheville’s diversity intensive framework requires departments to offer courses meeting criteria about socially constructed identities, relationships to power, inequality, and intersecting multiple identities.

Oct 15, 2026

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