Using Photovoice to Teach Ecological Systems Theory in the Social Sciences

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Unlocking Creative Innovations in Arts-Based Education for Higher Learning (Table 40)

Abstract

This paper examines the use of photography as an entry point for undergraduate students to learn about Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory (EST). Specifically, we discuss how an adapted form of photovoice can support students’ understanding of the various “system” levels in EST. Through photovoice students shared autobiographical photographs accompanied by narratives that illustrated examples of the EST system levels in their own lives. The activities discussed in this paper were implemented in two undergraduate courses; one for early childhood education students at a two-year community college and one for public health students at a four-year university. This paper discusses how arts-based learning engendered alternative insights about a theoretical framework as well as opportunities for positive and supportive interactions with peers.

Authors

• Katie A. Bucher, Muhlenberg College

• Russell K McIntire, Lehigh University