Abstract
Storytelling is an important tool through which to make sense of life experiences. Stories can be classified as personal narratives, historical documentaries and those that inform the viewer about a specific concept or practice. These narratives can be used to promote discussion about current issues in the world. Storytelling can thus be seen as an effective learning tool for students by providing a strong foundation in “Twenty First Century Literacy” skills as well as advancing emotional intelligence and social learning. This project used storytelling to gather information regarding people’s encounters with COVID-19 and lockdown, with specific focus on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Employing a content analysis methodology, it attempts to analyze responses to narrative inquiry interviews about the COVID-19 pandemic as conducted by students, as part of their introduction to the methodology of research. These responses were used to generalize findings, as well as to look at individual reactions that could bring light to, and make sense of the human experience of the pandemic within an educational context. Both negative and positive experiences were related by interviewees and students.
 
Highlights
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic on South African shores in March 2020 (National Institute for Communicable Diseases, 2020), and the Level 5 lockdown that started on 26 March 2020 (South African News Agency, 2020) forced teachers and lecturers alike to rethink the way they were teaching (Williams et al, 2021)
Existing literature (Carrillo & Flores, 2020; Mpungose, 2020; Wimpenny et al, 2020) refers to the myriad challenges faced by academic staff who, in the wake of COVID-19, have had to shift from the traditional classroom approach to technology-driven methods
The study was conducted during the 2020 academic year during lockdown and adds to current literature by providing the experiences and challenges faced by people in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, during the pandemic
Summary
Jansen (2004, in Mpungose, 2020) states that traditional face-to-face learning excludes students’ experiences, as the lecturer deposits knowledge for students in a physical classroom using traditional methods (lecturer-centred) and resources. There is no access to these physical classrooms when faced with challenges such as student protests and pandemics. Existing literature (Carrillo & Flores, 2020; Mpungose, 2020; Wimpenny et al, 2020) refers to the myriad challenges faced by academic staff who, in the wake of COVID-19, have had to shift from the traditional classroom approach to technology-driven methods. The pressure to offer learners customized solutions has reached the higher education arena at great cost to the wellbeing of academic staff who are left floundering in the tsunami-like waters of the pandemic. As Tarman (2020:) stated, academics are in a “permanent state of transformation”
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