Exploring student identity using Photovoice
Location
Culture and Qualitative Research (Session 3 Breakouts)
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
The study will be conducted in an elementary charter school that has the unique mission to educate a student body that is strategically comprised (almost equally) of refugees, recent immigrants, and children from the local community. This unique composition results in a socio-political context and school culture that differs greatly from any other school in the greater Atlanta region. It is for this reason that I designed a Photovoice study to explore both the successes as well as the challenges that students face daily at this particular school. In particular, this study explores issues of identity, resiliency, assets and barriers to learning. Photovoice is grassroots activist research that puts cameras in the hands of participants and asks them to document their everyday experiences via a specific photographic technique. The participant-created and participant-defined images are then used as tools for community advocacy. The findings of this study can be used to help administrators and teachers better understand the valuable aspects of the academic and social culture of this school as well as provide suggestions for ways to better promote student well-being. As this study is ongoing, this presentation will discuss the research process and findings to date.
Keywords
Photovoice, Immigration, Refugees, Elementary school, Identity
Professional Bio
Camille A. Sutton-Brown, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. She holds a doctorate in Educational Policy Studies - Research, Measurement, and Statistics from Georgia State University. Her research interests lie in photovoice methodology, critical theories, international education, transnational feminism, and (dis)ability representation and accessibility
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Sutton-Brown, Camille, "Exploring student identity using Photovoice" (2020). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 44.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2020/2020/44
Exploring student identity using Photovoice
Culture and Qualitative Research (Session 3 Breakouts)
The study will be conducted in an elementary charter school that has the unique mission to educate a student body that is strategically comprised (almost equally) of refugees, recent immigrants, and children from the local community. This unique composition results in a socio-political context and school culture that differs greatly from any other school in the greater Atlanta region. It is for this reason that I designed a Photovoice study to explore both the successes as well as the challenges that students face daily at this particular school. In particular, this study explores issues of identity, resiliency, assets and barriers to learning. Photovoice is grassroots activist research that puts cameras in the hands of participants and asks them to document their everyday experiences via a specific photographic technique. The participant-created and participant-defined images are then used as tools for community advocacy. The findings of this study can be used to help administrators and teachers better understand the valuable aspects of the academic and social culture of this school as well as provide suggestions for ways to better promote student well-being. As this study is ongoing, this presentation will discuss the research process and findings to date.
