Unbound potential: identity as a process understood through creative writing

Abstract

ABSTRACT The identity transition from high school student to high school graduate holds particular uncertainties for students. The purpose of this narrative research study, co-constructed by a high school Creative Writing teacher and doctoral candidate, is to better understand how high school students engage creatively with their own identity and then communicate such engagement through creative writing. Considering the current climate of a global pandemic, national racial unrest and an election year (2020 presidential election), this research highlights the iterative, nuanced and complex narratives of adolescent identity in a time of deep uncertainty, particularly for soon-to-be high school graduates at an urban high school.