Abstract

Teaching undergraduate students qualitative research methods within the confines of a traditional didactic course can be challenging. Qualitative research is often very foreign and difficult to grasp as a concept comparatively to the more common quantitative research methodologies the students are exposed to in several of their pre-nursing courses. This poster presentation demonstrates the use of Photovoice as a teaching method to teach qualitative research methods. This activity gives the students the experience of being both subjects in and researchers of a qualitative study. The use of photography to express oneself has become common place in the age of social media. Photovice is a form of participatory action research methodology. It is used to create awareness of a marginalized group and creating a narrative of picture and words the lived experiences to create change. Photovoice engages participants as co-researchers along with the qualitative researcher to develop the final presentation. In the course activity created by the author, students submitted their photo and caption that answered the faculty member's question as a class assignment. The faculty then aggregated the de-identified photos and captions and provided packets of the photos/narratives to several small groups of students during class time. The groups then utilized the class period to discuss and categorize the pictures/narratives into codes and then grouping codes into 2-4 themes. Small groups then practiced triangulation with the other groups and made adjustments. Final report outs with selection of exemplars covered credibility and dissemination concepts of qualitative research.

Notes

References:

Garner, S.L. (2014). Photovice as a teaching and learning strategy for undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Education Today, 34, 1272-1274. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2014.03.019

Description

Photovoice, a form of participatory action research, is an effective teaching method to teach qualitative research methods and concepts. Photovoice engages participants as co-researchers along with the qualitative researcher to develop the final presentation. This class activity gives students practice in the collection of qualitative data as the participant and researcher, coding, developing themes, and trustworthiness activities of triangulation, credibility, and dissemination.

Author Details

Christina Pepin, PhD, RN, CNE

Sigma Membership

Omega

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Other

Research Approach

Other

Keywords:

Teaching and Learning Strategies, Nursing Education, Advanced in Nursing Education, Undergraduate Nursing Education, Qualitative Research, Photovoice, Teaching Qualitative Research

Conference Name

48th Biennial Convention

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Conference Year

2025

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2025-12-05

Click on the above link to access the poster.

Share

COinS
 

Using Photovoice to Teach Qualitative Research Methods

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Teaching undergraduate students qualitative research methods within the confines of a traditional didactic course can be challenging. Qualitative research is often very foreign and difficult to grasp as a concept comparatively to the more common quantitative research methodologies the students are exposed to in several of their pre-nursing courses. This poster presentation demonstrates the use of Photovoice as a teaching method to teach qualitative research methods. This activity gives the students the experience of being both subjects in and researchers of a qualitative study. The use of photography to express oneself has become common place in the age of social media. Photovice is a form of participatory action research methodology. It is used to create awareness of a marginalized group and creating a narrative of picture and words the lived experiences to create change. Photovoice engages participants as co-researchers along with the qualitative researcher to develop the final presentation. In the course activity created by the author, students submitted their photo and caption that answered the faculty member's question as a class assignment. The faculty then aggregated the de-identified photos and captions and provided packets of the photos/narratives to several small groups of students during class time. The groups then utilized the class period to discuss and categorize the pictures/narratives into codes and then grouping codes into 2-4 themes. Small groups then practiced triangulation with the other groups and made adjustments. Final report outs with selection of exemplars covered credibility and dissemination concepts of qualitative research.