This study aims to investigate digital storytelling (DST) as a reflective practice in service learning (SL) focused on university social responsibility (USR) for education for sustainable development (ESD).
This study used interpretive phenomenological analysis. A DST workshop was conducted with 22 pre-service teachers based on their NGO volunteering experiences in SL. DST served as both a research context and a data collection tool.
The DST facilitated three types of reflection: descriptive, dialogic and critical. Pre-service teachers used descriptive reflection to narrate their experiences, including their roles, challenges and solutions. Dialogic reflection helped them explore their motivations, emotions and fostering personal and professional awareness and growth. Critical reflection allowed them to analyse their learning and its broader social implications, emphasizing how DST supports identity, culture and community contributions. They engaged with six SDGs beyond SDG 4, including SDGs 3, 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17.
This study shows how DST can be used as a reflective practice to gain insight into pre-service teachers’ volunteering experiences in SL focused on USR for ESD.
This paper demonstrates that through DST and SL, pre-service teachers can enhance their social responsibility and community engagement, contributing to ESD.
The reflective dimension of DST enabled pre-service teachers to relate their volunteer experiences in SL to personal development, social contribution and ESD, thereby bridging the theory and practice of USR.
