Dream Camp: drawing on community cultural wealth capital to make sense of career dreams

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this qualitative study, we examine the experiences of South African multilingual learners and one local teacher after participating in a community-based, digital storytelling project on career dreams. A secondary purpose was to uncover the skills, knowledge, and abilities learners used as they created digital stories that reflected their future goals and career dreams. This study adds to the field of language and cultural research by highlighting multilingual learners’ reliance on various forms of community cultural wealth CCW. Qualitative data sources included: observational field notes, transcribed participant interviews, transcribed video recordings, and artefacts. Findings illustrate how the learners relied on linguistic, social and aspirational capital to imagine their future identities. They articulated metalinguistic awareness in English and isiXhosa and felt cared for, trusted, and supported. The camp provided overt instruction, scaffolding and a space for learners reimagine their selves. This study illustrates how educators can challenge deficit perspectives and find ways to build on what learners bring to every language and learning experience. CCW theories help better contextualise the cultural capital learners have and how they may use and develop that wealth in their rural school experiences.