TY - GEN AB - Narrative identity has become an increasingly popular area for study, especially in the classroom. This study aimed to explore storytelling as connected to identity in the classroom. I collected qualitative data in the form of stories and interactions from two focus groups with 8 participants. From this qualitative data, I found that storytelling, as an inherently social practice, can be a window into students’ figured worlds. Specifically, I found that storytelling with peers can highlight an individual’s knowledge of their relationships; that stories inform the self and the self informs stories in a reflexive pattern through social interaction; that retelling well-known stories can show connections and relations of students to characters; and that school situates the structure of a specific type of story. My findings underline three important aspects of using storytelling as a relational practice for building teacher-student trust in the classroom: suggestions for leaving prompts open-ended, responding with encouragement rather than directions, and knowing that every story is informed in a social context. AU - Baroody, Persie DA - 2025-02-15 DO - 10.52295/dcc.8460 DO - doi ED - Arias, Juan Miguel ID - 8460 KW - Identity (Psychology) KW - Narration (Rhetoric) KW - Interaction analysis in education KW - Narrative identity KW - Figured worlds KW - Reflexive stories KW - Relational pedagogy L1 - https://digitalcc.coloradocollege.edu/record/8460/files/Education_Baroody_TellingOurselves.pdf L2 - https://digitalcc.coloradocollege.edu/record/8460/files/Education_Baroody_TellingOurselves.pdf L4 - https://digitalcc.coloradocollege.edu/record/8460/files/Education_Baroody_TellingOurselves.pdf LA - eng LK - https://digitalcc.coloradocollege.edu/record/8460/files/Education_Baroody_TellingOurselves.pdf N2 - Narrative identity has become an increasingly popular area for study, especially in the classroom. This study aimed to explore storytelling as connected to identity in the classroom. I collected qualitative data in the form of stories and interactions from two focus groups with 8 participants. From this qualitative data, I found that storytelling, as an inherently social practice, can be a window into students’ figured worlds. Specifically, I found that storytelling with peers can highlight an individual’s knowledge of their relationships; that stories inform the self and the self informs stories in a reflexive pattern through social interaction; that retelling well-known stories can show connections and relations of students to characters; and that school situates the structure of a specific type of story. My findings underline three important aspects of using storytelling as a relational practice for building teacher-student trust in the classroom: suggestions for leaving prompts open-ended, responding with encouragement rather than directions, and knowing that every story is informed in a social context. PY - 2025-02-15 T1 - Telling Ourselves: Reflexive Stories and the Social Construction of Self in the Classroom TI - Telling Ourselves: Reflexive Stories and the Social Construction of Self in the Classroom UR - https://digitalcc.coloradocollege.edu/record/8460/files/Education_Baroody_TellingOurselves.pdf ER -