19.6 Photo voice
Learning Objectives
Learners will be able to…
- Explain defining features of photovoice as a strategy for qualitative data analysis and identify when it is most effectively used
- Formulate an initial analysis plan using photovoice (if appropriate for your research proposal)
What are you trying to accomplish with photovoice?
Photovoice is an approach to qualitative research that combines the steps of data gathering and analysis with visual and narrative data. The ultimate aim of the analysis is to produce some kind of desired change with and for the community of participants. While other analysis approaches discussed here may involve including participants more actively in the research process, it is certainly not the norm. However, with photovoice, it is. Using an approach that involves photovoice will generally assume that the participants in your study will be taking on a very active role throughout the research process, to the point of acting as co-researchers. This is especially evident during the analysis phase of your work.
As an example of this work, Mitchell (2018)[1] combines photovoice and an environmental justice approach to engage a Native American community around the significance and the implications of water for their tribe. This research is designed to help raise awareness and support advocacy efforts for improved access to and quality of natural resources for this group. Photovoice has grown out of participatory and community-based research traditions that assume that community members have their own expertise they bring to the research process, and that they should be involved, empowered, and mutually benefit from research that is being conducted. This mutual benefit means that this type of research involves some kind of desired and very tangible changes for participants; the research will support something that community members want to see happen. Examples of these changes could be legislative action, raising community awareness, or changing some organizational practice(s).
Training your team
Because this approach involves participants not just sharing information, but actually utilizing research skills to help collect and interpret data, as a researcher you need to take on an educator role and share your research expertise in preparing them to do so. After recruiting and gathering informed consent, part of the on-boarding process will be to determine the focus of your study. Some photovoice projects are more prescribed, where the researcher comes with an idea and seeks to partner with a specific group or community to explore this topic. At other times, the researcher joins with the community first, and collectively they determine the focus of the study and craft the research question. Once this focus has been determined and shared, the team will be charged with gathering photos or videos that represent responses to the research question for each individual participant. Depending on the technology used to capture these photos (e.g. cameras, ipads, video recorders, cell phones), training may need to be provided.
Once photos have been captured, team members will be asked to provide a caption or description that helps to interpret what their picture(s) mean in relation to the focus of the study. After this, the team will collectively need to seek out themes and patterns across the visual and narrative representations. This means you may employ different elements of thematic or content analysis to help you interpret the collective meaning across the data and you will need to train your team to utilize these approaches.
Converging on a shared story
Once you have found common themes, together you will work to assemble these into a cohesive broader story or message regarding the focus of your topic. Now remember, the participatory roots of photovoice suggest that the aim of this message is to seek out, support, encourage or demand some form of change or transformation, so part of what you will want to keep in mind is that this is intended to be a persuasive story. Your research team will need to consider how to put your findings together in a way that supports this intended change. The packaging and format of your findings will have important implications for developing and disseminating the final products of qualitative research. Chapter 21 focuses more specifically on decisions connected with this phase of the research process.
Key Takeaways
- Photovoice is a unique approach to qualitative research that combines visual and narrative information in an attempt to produce more meaningful and accessible results as an alternative to other traditional research methods.
- A cornerstone of Photovoice research involves the training and participation of community members during the analysis process. Additionally, the results of the analysis are often intended for some form of direct change or transformation that is valued by the community.
Exercises
Reflexive Journal Entry Prompt
After learning about these different types of qualitative analysis:
- Which of these approaches make the most sense to you and how you view the world?
- Which of them are most appealing and why?
- Which do you want to learn more about?
Exercises
Decision Point: How will you conduct your analysis?
- Thinking about what you need to accomplish with the data you have collected, which of these analytic approaches will you use?
- What makes this the most effective choice?
- Outline the steps you plan to take to conduct your analysis
- What peer-reviewed resources have you gathered to help you learn more about this method of analysis? (keep these handy for when you write-up your study!)
Resources
Resources for learning more about Photovice:
Liebenberg, L. (2018). Thinking critically about photovoice: Achieving empowerment and social change.
Mangosing, D. (2015, June 18). Photovoice training and orientation.
University of Kansas, Community Toolbox. (n.d.). Section 20. Implementing Photovoice in Your Community.
Woodgate et al. (2017, January). Worth a thousand words? Advantages, challenges and opportunities in working with photovoice as a qualitative research method with youth and their families.
A few exemplars of studies employing Photovoice:
Fisher-Borne, M., & Brown, A. (2018). A case study using Photovoice to explore racial and social identity among young Black men: Implications for social work research and practice.
Houle et al. (2018). Public housing tenants’ perspective on residential environment and positive well-being: An empowerment-based Photovoice study and its implications for social work.
Mitchell, F. M. (2018). “Water Is Life”: Using photovoice to document American Indian perspectives on water and health.
- Mitchell, F. M. (2018). “Water Is Life”: Using photovoice to document American Indian perspectives on water and health. Social Work Research, 42(4), 277-289. ↵
Photovoice is a technique that merges pictures with narrative (word or voice data that helps that interpret the meaning or significance of the visual artifact. It is often used as a tool in CBPR.