Transforming a school into Hogwarts: storification of classrooms and students’ social behaviour

Abstract

Educators are continuously exploring ways to enhance the academic potential of students while fostering a positive social atmosphere within classrooms. To meet these various curricular and interpersonal objectives, teachers are increasingly utilising educational storification in order to engage students and positively support their social relationships. However, research still lacks in terms of how storification impacts students’ social behaviour and communities. With grounded theory methods, and data from a 10-day ethnographic fieldwork, participatory observations, interviews with 11 educational staff and focus groups with 79 students at a middle school employing a Harry Potter theme, this study indicates that storification can strengthen the school community and hinder students’ antisocial behaviour. The storified learning environment formed a shared interest at the school, which facilitated further friendship formations and sense of belonging, however, careful considerations on social cliques and certain norms the selected story potentially delivers are called for.