Using Methods That Matter: The Impact of Reflection, Dialogue, and Voice

Abstract

In recent years, the field of community psychology has given considerable attention to how research and evaluation methods should be designed to support our goals of empowerment and social justice. Yet, as a field, we have given much less attention to whether the use of our methods actually achieves or supports our empowerment agenda. With the primary purpose of beginning to establish the norm of reporting on the impacts of our methods, this paper reports on the findings from interviews of 16 youth and adults who had participated in one participatory evaluation method (Photovoice). Two specific questions were examined: (1) What is the impact of participating in a Photovoice effort; and (2) How does the method of Photovoice foster these impacts? Overall, participants noted that they were significantly affected by their experiences as photographers and through their dialogue with neighbors during Photovoice group sessions. Impacts ranged from an increased sense of control over their own lives to the emergence of the kinds of awareness, relationships, and efficacy supportive of participants becoming community change agents. According to participants, Photovoice fostered these changes by (a) empowering them as experts on their lives and community, (b) fostering deep reflection, and (c) creating a context safe for exploring diverse perspectives. The implications of these findings for the science and practice of community psychology are discussed.

Using volunteer-employed photography to inform tourism planning decisions: A study of St David's Peninsula, Wales

“…They noted strengths of the technique that were similar to those suggested in the literature, and considered participation an excellent opportunity to express their views (Armstrong, 2005;Rhodes et al, 2008). Many participants also admitted that the photo-taking process made them "stop and think" (Radley & Taylor, 2003;Foster-Fishman et al, 2005;Aubeeluck & Buchanan, 2006;Noland, 2006). The negative comments, meanwhile, mainly concerned logistics such as participants thinking that 12 photos were too many or not enough, confusion over the numbering of the photos (as the first one had already been taken by the researcher to identify the film) and the technical limitations of the disposable camera.…”

Using photovoice to examine community level barriers affecting maternal health in rural Wakiso district, Uganda

“…By visualising these issues through local photographs, photovoice is a strong tool for capturing problems relevant to the lives of the photographers, their communities, and health priorities. 47,48 Several other social determinants of health such as unclean water and poor sanitation, lack of income generation among women and poor nutrition, are also key in improving maternal health. Yet they have not been prioritised in other community studies on maternal health in low-and middle-income countries.…”

The Evolving Role of Youth Workers

“…There is an ever-growing body of literature that supports the role of youth workers in engaging youth and assisting them in their own development as one way to enhance their positive development (Foster-Fishman, Deacon, Nievar and McCann, 2005;Wong, Zimmerman, & Parker, 2010;Zeldin, 2004). Shernoff and Vandell (2007) examined youth engagement in a variety of afterschool enrichment programs (e.g., sports and arts) among eighth grade students.…”