Quick facts  

• Year: 2020 

• Country: Australia 

• Institution: Griffith University 

• Learners: Pre-qualifying – Social work postgraduate students 

• Aims: The aim of the intervention was to provide a form of cost-effective training for social workers that did not place too much of a burden of First Nations organisations to host large placements for students but allowed social work students to still engage with First Nations’ peoples and cultures.    

Why was the education intervention developed?

First Nations, a term for indigenous people in Australia, are key stakeholders in social work and human services in Australia, yet many students know little about the nation’s history, politics, culture and peoples; therefore, it is integral for professionals working in social work contexts to become allies in First Nations’ social justice.

To do this, it is argued that students and professionals must go through a process of learning and transformation in which they learn anti-oppressive and anti-colonial ways of being that prioritise cultural humility and cultural safety. One way to do this is through storytelling. 

What was involved in the education intervention?

The study was conducted by First Nations and non-Indigenous researchers, and the intervention was delivered to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. 

To make the experience inclusive, no assumptions were made about students' prior knowledge, ensuring it was accessible to all. 

The education intervention was part of a module assessment where students were required to submit a Digital story. Storytelling is a part of Australian First Nations’ teaching and learning and gives students and educators the opportunity to engage with anti-oppressive theory and practice. 

Immersive and transformative learning theories were considered to encourage students to observe local places in new ways.  This included walking through their local area to understand the visibility and valuing of First Nations’ cultures and country.

Students had to consider mindful embodied observation methods and were supported by readings such as ‘understandings of country’, ‘walking ethnography’ and ‘sensory ethnography’.   They were encouraged to listen to and contemplate the environment and themselves as they moved through local places and ‘turn up’ their senses. 

Throughout the process, students became critical observers and began recording their observations and experiences through the digital story assessment task.

Students submitted their digital stories on a course discussion board and were instructed to comment on at least two of their peers' stories.    

How was the education intervention evaluated? 

The evaluation used a survey including 12 quantitative and qualitative questions. The survey was grounded in King’s Learning Activities Survey, which is based on Mezirow’s ten phases of transformation, which includes introspective questions on learners' emotions and efficacy.

Additionally, the digital story transcripts were analysed to evaluate the story content, the degree of transformation, the emotions expressed, whether immersive learning occurred, and the variables that led to the students' transformation. 

What was the impact of the education intervention?

26 postgraduate students participated in the research; all were studying online and were located in communities throughout Australia. While the intervention brought some discomfort, participants experienced transformation in different ways.

Through the intervention, students were able to engage with new spaces; 71% found this transformative. Additionally, more than half of the students found that the support provided by lecturers was transformative to their learning.

Transformative factors also included the course content, the personal reflections shared, and the evaluation of personal and inherited histories.

The assessment also yielded unexpected outcomes, as students' responses indicated that engaging with First Nations’ peoples during the story-creation process significantly influenced their transformation.  

Key learnings

• Digital storytelling provides an accessible, contemporary, and effective form of learning, especially because it can be delivered remotely.   

• The intervention can be used in a range of decolonising and anti-oppressive approaches to education. Additionally, the use of digital tools provides students with flexibility and creativity.

Challenges:

• There was a tendency for students to have a ‘colonial gaze’, wanting to extract from First Nations’ communities without the correct anti-colonial sensibilities.   

Recommendations

• Future research should focus on the long-term impact this may have on professional practice.