Using Photo-Elicited Interviews to Study Self-Determination in Youth Enrolled in Alternative Education Programs

• In Event: Young Participants as Partners in Research

Abstract

Purpose. We present one aspect of two case studies that are part of a larger research project on promoting positive life outcomes for struggling youth. The cases were two alternative education programs (AEPs) for “at-risk” youth (aged 15-19). We used auto-photography and photo-elicited interviews (PEIs; Clark-Ibáñez, 2007) to study whether and how the youth perceived their self-determination (SD) was encouraged during school activities.

Perspectives. Self-determination theory (SDT) is concerned with the degree to which individual choices are self-determined versus controlled; or intrinsically versus extrinsically motivated (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Research indicates that when students’ three basic psychological needs of autonomy, belonging, and competence are met, not only is their SD encouraged, so are other positive outcomes relevant to at-risk youth (Powers et al., 2012).

Methods. One of the AEPs has male and female students and the other has female students only. Students in both programs have been unsuccessful in the mainstream school system and have heightened rates of learning disabilities, substance use, and mental health disorders. One way we documented the success of the AEPs was by involving students as co-researchers, asking them to take pictures when they felt a sense of autonomy, belonging, and/or competence during school activities. Their pictures were subsequently used as stimuli in interviews with them. Two researchers thematically coded interview transcripts for expressions of autonomy, belonging, and competence. They compared their coding and made final decisions on differences and emergent themes.

PEIs are an innovative way to study individuals’ SD. SDT research has primarily involved experimental or survey methods (Urdan & Turner, 2005). Moreover, PEIs have proven effective in research with vulnerable populations (e.g., street entrenched youth, homeless populations; Clark, 1999) because they are relatively unobtrusive and non-threatening compared to traditional research processes. Finally, PEIs allowed us to document the effects of activities from the youth’s perspectives, leading to a more authentic representation of their experiences (i.e., the impact of organizational and instructional supports is determined by the way students interpret and interact with them; Christenson, et al., 2001).

Results. All PE interviews revealed: (1) that students perceived their SD needs were met during school activities; and (2) their perceptions of how these needs were met. The interviews also revealed student expressions of engagement, self-confidence, and self-regulated learning (SRL), which are associated with SD need satisfaction and are areas in which at-risk youth experience deficits (e.g., Reeve & Jang, 2006). And consistent with the goals of their programs, students in the mixed-gender AEP shared experiences of goal-setting and follow-through, and students in the all-girls AEP spoke of gains in self-awareness, healthy relationships, and life skills.

Significance. The PEIs captured at-risk youths’ own expressions of SD (Noland, 2006). By allowing them to speak for themselves, the PE interviews gave a voice to this group of marginalized youth, thus “giv[ing] a voice to the voiceless” (Hutchinson, et al., 1994, p. 164). Increased understanding of youth perspectives related to features of programs that promote SD will support the design of effective interventions for them.

Authors

• Gigi Michelle Hofer, The University of British Columbia

• Nancy E. Perry, The University of British Columbia