Complicating moral messages through multimodal composition: wrestling with revenge and racism

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study is an exploratory analysis of the multimodal composition practices of adolescents and young adults in a free after-school drop-in programme called the Workshop, and the moral development opportunities afforded by these practices. Pasupathi and Wainryb’s [(2010). “Developing Moral Agency Through Narrative.” Human Development 53: 55–80. doi:10.1159/000288208] theory of narrative moral agency is invoked to interpret participants’ compositions. Through a process of multimodal design, participants illustrated the cognitive process of reconciling one’s moral beliefs with actions in the real world. Switching between modes of expression allowed the focal participants to showcase their nuanced moral positions on justice-related issues, such as complicating a desire for revenge with advocating for peace. The literary, technological, and performance opportunities of the Workshop serve as an example for how social, aesthetic, and moral goals can be achieved in classrooms and contribute to students’ moral agency.