Photovoice Slideshow

4.4.3.1. Overview

The third and final strand used the same participants as the interview strand. They were asked to take photographs of spaces, places, tools, and objects that they perceive as either enhancing or encumbering their professional learning. The participants collated and verbally presented these photographs in a form of an individual slideshow. Participants could use

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Microsoft PowerPoint (or similar) to display their photographs. Throughout the slideshow,

references were made to the participant's responses in the questionnaire and interview stages to help 'close the loop'. Furthermore, this strand critically situates the participants as a community of professional learners within a social, political, economic and cultural context who are co-researchers within the inquiry (Spry, 2001; Mackenzie et al., 2012).

The individual slideshow uses the photovoice participatory action research method (Wang & Burris, 1994; 1997; Wang et al., 1996; Wang, 1999) and is unique to sociomaterial studies and within the field of education (Ciolan & Manasia, 2017). Photovoice is one of several qualitative methods utilised in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) (Nykiforuk et al., 2011). It was originally conceived as:

...a process by which people can identify, represent, and enhance their community through a specific photographic technique. It entrusts cameras to the hands of people to enable them to act as recorders, and potential catalysts for change, in their own communities. It uses the immediacy of the visual image to furnish evidence and to promote an effective, participatory means of sharing expertise and knowledge (Wang & Burris, 1997, p. 369)

Three major theoretical frameworks underpin and support the photovoice method. Firstly, the method uses Paulo Freire's (1970) theory of critical consciousness. This concerns empowering individuals to critically engage in dialogue and thinking about their community and circumstances. Secondly, feminist theory is applied to give a 'voice' to those marginalised and vulnerable populations and takes into consideration male bias that has influenced participatory research. Lastly, the notion of documentary photography is used as an attempt to provide visual expression to social conscience (Wang & Burris, 1997; Ciolan & Manasia, 2017). The photovoice method empowers the participants to create, select and organise those images that they wish to use in their slideshow. However, the researcher is still in control of the study, in terms of direction and the themes to be explored. By increasing the involvement of the participant in the research process, the validity of the data also increases (Julien et al., 2013; Ciolan & Manasia, 2017).

Whilst the photovoice method has considerable advantages, a number of limitations do exist. For example, participants may take photographs without a subject's permission or in areas that are prohibited. As a researcher, I needed to ensure participants are made aware of and compliant with strict and robust ethical practices, by providing the necessary tools and resources to mitigate against such challenges (Julien et al., 2013; Woodgate et al., 2017). Failure to do so poses a significant risk to the usability of the resultant data and study as a

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whole (ibid.). Photovoice projects can be expensive in terms of time (i.e. participant's commitment) and resources (i.e. photographic equipment). Nonetheless, technology has progressed sufficiently and cheaply in alleviating this as an issue. Given the visual nature of this method, this is a potential barrier to participants with visual impairments. Researchers will need to consider whether to exclude individuals who could make an invaluable contribution to the study, simply because of their inability to take photographs or critique visual images (ibid.). Despite these limitations, the photovoice method is gifted with many strengths. There is an opportunity to create new knowledge around the conceptualisation of professional learning amongst academic staff.

4.4.3.2. Implementation

In preparation for these slideshows, each participant took part in a 15 to 30 minute briefing session with me. Firstly, this was to ensure that participants were clear about what they were supposed to be photographing. It was reiterated that participants needed to photograph spaces, places and objects that either helped or hindered their professional learning engagement. Secondly, to ensure they understood the highly sensitive and ethical nature of their own research within the wider study. Each participant received a briefing guide (see

Appendix VIII) to take away with them.

Each participant was given a USB memory stick to store their photographs. They could use the memory stick to store their slideshow, which might be prepared using Microsoft PowerPoint (or similar). The participants had control over which photographs they could use in the slideshow and the order in which these could be displayed. The slideshow informed the participants' own personal narrative or commentary concerning the opportunities and challenges around their professional learning. The slideshow presentations took place between May and July 2016 between the participant and me in a secure and private office.

4.4.3.3. Tracing the Spaces, Objects and People

Once the data had been typed up into the anonymised profiles, the second stage of analysis involved drawing information from both the interviews and the photovoice activities to identify a set of actors, such as 'Study Area', 'Pens / Pencils', 'Colleague (Academic)', that enabled and/or encumbered professional learning. Each actor was placed in one of three sociomaterial groups: 'space/place', 'material objects' and 'people'. Working through each of the twelve profiles, a single point was allocated to each actor that was mentioned. That point would be recorded in either the 'Enable' or 'Encumber' column. Some actors, such as 'Email',

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were mentioned as having enabled and encumbered professional learning. In these instances, a point would be allocated in both the 'Enable' and 'Encumber' columns (see Appendix XIV for detailed account).

Those actors that scored highly (seven or more) were identified by most of the participants as having a significant effect upon their ability to engage with their professional learning activities. It would be these actors that I would follow, looking for commonalities, differences, and surprises that might emerge from the analysis (see Appendix XV for detailed account).

4.5. Original Methodological Contribution: Photovoice