Peace and well‐being with storytelling in TESOL: Exploring peacebuilding through voices of English language learners in Pakistan

Abstract

Storytelling was initiated, as a part of this study, in a Pakistani university's undergraduate English class, involving reflective discussions and journal writing, to create a safe space where students can raise their voices. In a collectivist society, like Pakistan, society's norms are preferred over individual agencies (Bittles & Small, 2016), which instills a “collectivist obligation” amongst the youth to follow society's ways (Watkins & Biggs, 2001, p. 282) and, ultimately, distancing critical thinking (Feyyaz, 2016) and muting disparate voices (Zaidi et al., 2016). Moreover, Pakistan, being a developing country, faces multiple social and political issues (Droogan, 2018; Saeed et al., 2014) adding further pressure on these young minds. With technology, media, and education, the country's youth, especially majors in English, have started comparing their norms with modern values (Zubair, 2006) resulting in adjustment issues (Haidar, 2021a) which require attention and ventilation. In this study, the classroom was developed as a venting space for students whereby storytelling helped students in confronting conflicts, deliberating causes and navigating solutions. Data from journaling, discussions, and students' interviews revealed these practices were helpful in attaining mental peace, developing tolerance and building stronger human connections.