The Collaborative Terrain of Collective Narratives, Students’ Knowledge, Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the relationships between students’ conceptual knowledge, collective narratives, teaching and learning. The study was based on empirical data generated from ninety-nine narratives, four interviews, and demographic questionnaires. The findings highlighted that collective narratives reflect the narrative arcs that encompass the patterns of students’ thinking. Collective narratives can be used to assess the organization of students’ prior knowledge maps regarding any subject due to their specific internal structures. The author argued that the collective narratives of students create a collaborative landscape of teaching and learning where students’ prior knowledge combined with academic knowledge can be imparted in a systematic way. The study concluded that students’ collective narratives offer teachers the benefit of using students’ texts as alternative thinking devices in constructing knowledge.