Photovoice
There’s an old adage that a picture tells a thousand words. This approach uses photographs to help change mindsets and perspectives.
What It Is
Photovoice enables individuals to represent their lives through photography. In this approach, families take photographs of their daily surroundings to capture the strengths and challenges they see in their communities. The photographs are then usually used to spark discussion among educators and families together to enact change.
How It Works
Typically, families are provided with a camera or digital device that they can use to take pictures of their lives. The amount of direction given to participants ranges from minimal to slightly more involved. For example, before taking pictures, educators and families might engage in conversations about what they are hoping to capture, the ethics around photographing others, and simple photography tips, such as when to use close-ups and how to position the subject in the photograph.
Once photographs are taken, educators and families engage in a three-stage process. First, families select the photographs they find most significant. Second, families help to contextualize the photographs. For example, families might be asked to keep journals or write brief narratives related to the photographs they take. The third stage involves the process of codifying the photographs, or determining the themes that emerge from the selected images.¹ This stage is rooted in group discussion and ultimately community sharing.
What Changes
The photovoice method positions the community members as the experts, and it provides a more collaborative way of assessing a community’s needs and making changes.² An important advantage of this approach is that it provides educators and community members access to settings that may not otherwise be available to them.³
Approach In Action
To better understand families’ perspectives on school readiness, a team of researchers provided low-income families and predominantly African American families in the Greater Pittsburgh area with cameras and asked them to photograph the process of getting their children ready for kindergarten.⁴ The photovoice method was used alongside interviews, ethnographic case studies, and a focus group. Prior to taking the photographs, parents received little instruction or direction — the intent of which was to give them more authority over how they wanted to highlight how they prepared their children for school. Once developed, the photographs were used to spark conversations with the families on school readiness and what it means to them. The researchers learned that families’ support networks are instrumental in how they access information about kindergarten entry, and that the more practical aspects of preparing for school — such as getting new shoes, school supplies, and backpacks─were extremely important. Families voiced their opinions on policy issues such as affordable child care and questioned, Are schools ready for our children?
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Endnotes
¹ Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment. Health Education and Behavior, 24(3), 369–397. doi:10.1177/109019819702400309
² Koltz, R. L., Odegard, M. A., Provost, K. B., Smith, T., & Kleist, D. (2010). Picture perfect: Using photo-voice to explore four doctoral students’ comprehensive examination experiences. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 5, 389–411. doi:10.1080/15401383.2010.527797; Mao, D., Deenanath, V., & Xiong, Z. B. (2012). Hmong students’ perceptions of their family environment: A consensual qualitative analysis of family photos. Hmong Studies Journal, 13(1), 1–27. Retrieved from https://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/
³ Wang & Burris. (1997).
⁴ McAllister, C. L., Wilson, P. C., Green, B. L., & Baldwin, J. L. (2005). “Come and take a walk”: Listening to Early Head Start parents on school-readiness as a matter of child, family, and community health. American Journal of Public Health, 95(4), 617–625. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.041616
