Discussions

Your Name and Title: Ioana Literat, PhD student

School, Library, or Organization Name: Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California

Co-Presenter Name(s): ---

Country from Which You Will Present: United States

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience: researchers, teachers, external evaluators

Short Session Description: This presentation will explore the use of visual tools in qualitative research with children and youth, exemplifying participatory drawing, photography and mapping as both pedagogical tools and research methodologies. 

Full Session Description:

While language-based research methods – both written and oral – have dominated the spectrum of social scientific research, a new range of non-textual strategies is gradually emerging as an alternative and versatile way of knowing. Participatory visual communications, such as sketching, photography, and video, hold the inherent potential of painting a more nuanced depiction of lived realities, while simultaneously empowering the study participants, and placing the agency literally in their own hands.

This presentation will explore the use of visual tools in qualitative research with children and youth, exemplifying participatory drawing, photography and mapping as both pedagogical tools and research methodologies. Using examples from my own experience teaching art and digital storytelling across the world, I discuss visuals produced by disempowered communities in India, Romania, and inner-city Los Angeles, highlighting the generation of visual knowledge and the effects that this process has on the communities involved. The inherent affordances of the visual mode, as well as the practical and ethical benefits of using this medium, are explored in the context of these cross-cultural case studies. Through the production of images, and their reflective sharing among community members, participants gain self-efficacy and collective efficacy, as well as an expressive channel to voice their hidden, silenced, and marginalized stories.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: http://ioanaliterat.com/