Photovoice as a Tool for Educating for Sustainability in the Anthropocene

• In Event: 63.074 - Participant Empowerment Through Photo Elicitation in Ethnographic Research: New Research and Approaches

Abstract

Our study grew out of an interest to expand our notions of what might constitute a “sustainable science education future” for the rural community of Casay in the Philippines. Over a period of four years our cross-cultural research team engaged in participatory action research as a form of socially shared inquiry to explore tensions mediating education for sustainability in this community. The photoessay enabled us to “touch on the limitations of language, especially language for descriptive purposes” (Walker, 1993, p. 722) as we engaged in data collection and analysis. Our use of photoessay involved the processes of photoelicitation, photofeedback, and photointerviewing. The process of gathering both written and verbal feedback from participants about the photographs they assembled was one of photoelicitation. As Prosser and Schwartz (1988) explain, photoelicitation is based on the “assumption that the chosen images mark some significance for the participants” (p. 124) Photofeedback is a form of photoelicitation in which participants develop written responses for each photo. Photofeedback can reduce the feelings of vulnerability and anxiousness that might be caused by talking directly to a researcher.
Using photo in this study allowed the researchers to use photoessay, to:
1) enhance our progress toward ecojustice and uncover and analyze these deeply rooted assumptions of both researchers and participants,
2) empower participants to conserve and revitalize Casay’s cultural and environmental commons, and
3) empower participants in ways which ensure cultural diversity and biodiversity for future generations.
The photoessay is one representation of photovoice which Wang (1999) initially developed as a participatory action research method for women to employ cameras to identify and represent their health. Wang et al. (1998) explain how photovoice can be used by participants to document their everyday lives, record and reflect on their thoughts about community strengths and concerns, promote dialogue, encourage action and inform policy. Photovoice provides a look at the social voice of communities and their cultural preferences and leads participants to question their social situation. It can provide a voice to individuals that may otherwise not be heard.

Author

• Deborah J. Tippins, University of Georgia