Sharing a Photovoice Experience: Ethics, Methodological Concerns,

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Sharing a Photovoice Experience Ethics,
Methodological Concerns, Opportunities

• April 10, 2009
• SLED
• Candace Kuby (crkuby_at_indiana.edu)
• Sarah Vander Zanden (svanderz_at_umail.iu.edu)

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Outline

• Photovoice theoretical underpinnings
• History of our work with Photovoice
• Emerging ethical dilemmas
• Discussion of (Non)Representational Logic

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Photovoice aims to

• 1) enable people to record and reflect their
  community's strengths and concerns
• 2) promote critical dialogue and enhance
  knowledge about issues through group discussions
  of the photographs
• inform policy makers
• http//www.sph.umich.edu/yvpc/projects/photovoice/
  

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Theoretical Underpinnings

• Freire-raising critical consciousness
• Feminist methodology- collective dialogue, power
  accrues to those who have voice, set language,
  and participate in decisions
• Community photo documentary/Participatory action
  research (PAR) - activist photography

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Photovoice Related Researchers

• Dr. Caroline Wang, School of Public Health, MI
• Dr. Mary Ann Burris, Michigan
• Wendy Ewald, North Carolina

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Sampling of Projects

• Examples
• Youth Violence Project, Flint, MI
• Displaced youth reclaiming identity, Columbia
• Mental Health initiatives- Michigan
• Civic action, womens initiative-Yunnan Province,
  China

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History of our work

• Y650 Feminist methodology Photovoice project
• NCTE 2008, whole day workshop with educators
• -electronic communication and support for
  various projects
• OSU-Expanding Literacies
• -workshop discussing ethical dilemmas
• SLED-peer feedback
• NCTE 2009, panel sharing various Photovoice
  projects with teachers

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The Art Show Opening
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NCTE Research Experience

• How do educators navigate their daily experiences
  in the current educational climate?
• Group of NCTE educators from various U.S. cities
  and Australia (12 people)
• We envisioned a photovoice project instead
  participants had other ideas.
• Wetpaint site joint gmail account
• Plans to present together at NCTE

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Ethical Dilemmas

• How do we share the experience of participants in
  traditional publication formats?
• Technology/gaze, fluidity/stability
• How do we communicate cohesion?
• Laughter, transformational moments, etc.
• Who is privileged?
• Selection of photos, transcripts shared, stories,
  etc.

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Dilemmas cont.

• What happens when goals differ?
• NCTE group project vs. individual adaptations
• How do we meet academic demands when participants
  have other needs?
• Publishing as a collective, as researchers, etc.

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Representational Logic

• Representational logic over-emphasizes
  stability, structure, and repetition and
  underemphasizes the change, diversity, and
  innovation that are part of literacy in use
  (Leander Rowe, 2006, p. 432).
• Focus on meaning
• Sameness, themes, stable frames of reference,
  difference is surprising, break in the frame
  (Goffman)

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Nonrepresentational Logic

• Nonrepresentational logic carries with it the
  assumption that literacy in use necessarily
  involves students generating new ways of
  connecting texts, modalities, and performed
  identities (Leander Rowe, 2006, 432).
• Focus is on experience, performance is not seen
  as stable, embraces differences and fluidity

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Example Research Questions

• Representational
• What do the photos mean?
• What are the themes from the photos/discussion?
• What was the photographers intention?

• Nonrepresentational
• What dynamic relationships of bodies, texts,
  photos, and spaces are being formed as the
  performance (small group discussion/public forum)
  unfolds?
• What effects do these dynamic relationships have
  on the Photovoice participants and policy makers?
  
• Where does this dialogue appear to be moving?

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We invite you to join in the conversation