Life Story as a Research Technique for Evaluating Formation Processes in Media Literacy for Social Change. Approaching a Case of Success of the Educational Project

Abstract

Life story has been repeatedly resorted as a research technique in the field of social sciences. The data provided of life stories in the context of the assessment of how learning in media literacy could serve to improve the living condition of an individual, are especially interesting. This paper presents a first scientific approach to study of a success story in media literacy through education project “Training, education and innovation in audiovisual media to raise awareness of hunger in Nicaragua (Nica Project)”. It shows how narrative knowledge is created and constructed through the story Oduber Guevara – one of young people without resources who has participated in this formation- tells about his lived and trained experiences, and explores the concept of ‘narrative knowing’ (Bruner, 1986). Information provided by his live story has been completed with other investigative techniques, which add data about the relevance, appropriateness and necessity to creation of a model of media literacy focused on social change in order to promote empowerment and employability in poor communities.