Abstract Book of the 2nd International Academic Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities
Year: 2025
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Methodological Approaches to Using Fictional Narratives in Sociological Education
Chaima Boucherouite, Brahim Hiba
ABSTRACT:
This paper draws upon an ongoing systematic review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, conducted to examine the empirical use of fiction, mainly short stories and novels, to enhance sociological imagination in higher education. The review targeted English-language works, with no temporal restrictions, including both peer-reviewed articles and grey literature (theses, book chapters, and books) across five databases (Scopus, Web of Science (Clarivate), Academic Research Complete, PsycINFO, and Eric), yielding 381 initial results. Only seven studies met the inclusion criteria, highlighting a significant gap in empirical research on this topic. Across these studies, students were assigned to write or read fictional narratives as a core component. This paper addresses the methodological choices of these studies through a comprehensive analysis of their research designs, data collection tools, pedagogical strategies employed, and learning outcomes. Findings indicate a strong reliance on qualitative approaches, limited use of standardized assessment tools, and a general absence of comparative methods. These findings highlight both the empirical gap and variations in methodological rigor, while also raising questions about how fiction-based pedagogy is evaluated and conceptualized in higher education contexts and how these insights can inform pedagogical practice.
Keywords: empirical research; fiction pedagogy; PRISMA; qualitative research; sociological imagination