Contextualised storytelling: offering insights into data-ing

The study aimed to advance knowledge into what is data-ing, a process defined whereby people engage with data, how and why they were gathered, and how they will be used in the future. Utilising a novel interdisciplinary approach, first-year microeconomics and humanities students wrote contextualized stories as part of their coursework in 2022 and 2023. Neither course taught statistics, with contextualised storytelling defined here as a process that involves learners drawing on one’s identity or life experiences, including things they do, and that have happened to them, their families, friends, or communities. Nine participants volunteered for the exploratory study, each submitting one story to the researchers. Four stories were selected based on showing the most potential for research purposes. Data analysis saw the researchers annotate and code the four participants’ stories, then analyse critical events. Tentative findings revealed how data-ing using contextualised storytelling might help students make sense of discipline specific concepts in courses that are rich in statistical language. The activity of data-ing also suggests students can identify variables and use statistical or mathematical statements that they may or may not be aware of, suggesting there may be value in embedding statistics into non-statistics disciplines to support student learning.