Conducting photo methodologies with children: framing ethical concerns relating to representation, voice and data analysis when exploring educational inclusion with children

ABSTRACT

This article is a critical discussion regarding a photo elicitation research project. In the project children and young people studying in primary, secondary and special schools were invited to explore their experiences of inclusion and exclusion by taking photographs of their everyday activities. These photographs were cartoonised to protect identities and then shared with other children and young people.

This paper offers a detailed description of the methodological approach adopted, before discussing three key aspects relating to the ethical issues that emerged. The first aspect is an exploration of the concerns and challenges posed by adopting a photo-elicitation method with children and young people. The second area concerns possibilities for accessing individual’s perceptions and respecting the differing ‘voices’ of research participants, The third aspect involves a reflection upon the advantages and difficulties of conducting data analysis on visual materials. Drawing these three aspects together it is concluded that while photo-elicitation with children is not without its challenges, the approach provides a multimodal route for accessing and sharing multiple and varied voices, some of which are too often deprived of a platform.

KEYWORDS:

• Photo elicitation
• qualitative methodology
• inclusion

Acknowledgements

The research team for the photo-elicitation project consists of four researchers – Linda Dunne, Fiona Hallett, Virginia Kay and Clare Woolhouse all of whom work at Edge Hill University. The team would like to thank the children, young people and schools involved in producing and discussing the photographs, and the teachers, teaching assistants, trainees and academics who took part in the reflection workshops.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Papers have been published relating to the methodology and initial findings of the photo-elicitation project (Dunne et al. 2017; Woolhouse et al. 2017).