Photovoice Using Words and Images in Qualitative Research

Photovoice research is a participatory qualitative research method where participants photograph themselves, then analyzing them to document and reflect upon their experiences and perspectives on a specific topic, often with the goal of raising awareness and advocating for change. It empowers participants by giving them control over the research process and their own narratives.

Photovoice: Using Words and Images in Qualitative Research is a collection of essays from the field that focuses on educators’ implementation of photovoice in a myriad of settings. This methodology crosses disciplines and offers a powerful way to combine visual methods with social research, making it adaptable to many areas where understanding and representing marginalized voices are important.

Photovoice is the perfect text for use in a variety of classrooms and courses, including:

• Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
• Community Studies (understanding how visual methods like photovoice can help researchers gain insight into the lived experiences of people within a community)
• Public Health (photovoice is a valuable method for understanding health disparities, the impact of the environment on health)
• Education (when studying participatory learning, student engagement, or community-based education. It would also be useful in teacher training programs focusing on inclusive and culturally responsive teaching.)
• Anthropology (courses on qualitative research or ethnography, photovoice allows for a deeper understanding of cultural and social dynamics through the visual representation of people's lived experiences)
• Selected topics in Educational Research
• Place-Based Education

Dr. Rebecca G. Harper is a Professor of Language and Literacy in the College of Education and Human Development at Augusta University where she teaches courses in literacy, qualitative research, and curriculum, and serves as the EdD program director. Her research focuses on writing and critical literacy, and the ways in which authentic literacy can foster engagement, agency, and empathy in students. She is the Director of the Augusta University Writing Project and the author of Content Area Writing that Rocks (and Works)!; Write Now and Write On: 37 Strategies for Authentic Daily Writing in Every Content Area; Writing Workouts: Strategies to Build Students’ Writing Skills, Stamina, and Success; Literacy Practice in Sports and Coaching: Developing Literacy Competencies in Interdisciplinary Environments; and Write From the Beginning: 42 Joyful Lessons to Foster Skilled Writers Every Day.

A former early childhood bilingual teacher, Julia López-Robertson is Professor of Literacy and Teacher Education at the University of South Carolina. Dr. López-Robertson’s research agenda focuses on advancing understandings about emerging bilingual/multilingual students and their families and on the transformation of teacher education to support equitable teaching for all children. Dr. López-Robertson is the author of Celebrating our Cuentos: Choosing and Using Latinx Literature in the Elementary Classroom and Re-envisioning Family Engagement and Literacy in Early Childhood Classrooms.