Persona Driven Collaborative Storytelling (PDCS): Community Research

Research Overview

In this project, we developed Persona-Driven Collaborative Storytelling (PDCS), a participatory research methodology that combines co-created personas, collaborative storytelling, and collective reflection to investigate sensitive technology use. Through a study with 25 Indian international students, we explored how LLMs support their academic, social, cultural, and emotional challenges while navigating life in the United States. Our research contributes a participatory approach to understanding marginalized communities' lived experiences and generates insights into the role of AI in sociocultural adaptation and everyday support-seeking.

Research Objectives

1. Develop a participatory research methodology that enables safe self-disclosure, collaborative storytelling, and participant-led interpretation of sensitive experiences.
2. Investigate how Indian international students use LLMs to navigate academic, cultural, social, and emotional challenges.
3. Examine the sociocultural factors influencing students' reliance on LLMs for everyday decision-making, adaptation, and support-seeking.
4. Evaluate participants' experiences with PDCS, particularly its ability to support memory recall, psychological safety, and meaningful participation.
5. Generate insights to inform the design of culturally responsive, inclusive, and human-centered AI systems for international student communities.

Contributions