Teaching Visual Methods in the Social Sciences

Sal Watt, Caroline Wakefield, Sal Watt, Caroline Wakefield

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317326779
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Enseñanza de ciencias sociales

Teaching Visual Methods in the Social Sciences presents a practical and theoretical framework for those wanting to introduce visual methods into their curricula. Drawing on the expertise of contributors from across the social sciences, the book provides a comprehensive introduction to visual methodology, learning and teaching theory, and the ethical considerations involved.

Divided into three parts, the book begins with an overview of how visual methods have been used in academic research, and how this can be applied to teaching and pedagogy. It then goes on to introduce different methods, including photography, film and drawing, describing how they can be used in various locations. Finally, the book pulls everything together, advocating the wider use of teaching visual methods in further and higher education curricula across the social science subjects.

The book features a plethora of examples, as well as practical resources for FE and HE teachers, making it an essential companion for anyone interested in utilising visual methods in their teaching.

PART I

Thinking through the use of visual methods in learning and teaching

1

INTRODUCTION

Sal Watt and Caroline Wakefield

The use of visual methods as a research tool is not new, with instances dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. However, its transference into the classroom as a valid research technique is less commonplace in contemporary curricula. Certainly in our own experience of education and training, visual methods were absent. It is fair to say that we have both harboured and shared an interest in visual communication, primarily photography, for many years. Additionally, having gained many years’ experience in the delivery of educational programmes, we recognise the different learning styles adopted by learners and recognise that many of our students were visual thinkers. As such, we have always been interested in designing visual curricula (from flow charts to the inclusion of photograph and film extracts) to that end.

In terms of our own journey, the engagement and use of visual methods became of particular research interest to us through the personal photographic documentation of a competitor in an Ironman Triathlon. While the photographs were comprehensive in their (semi)objective account of the day, we were struck by the visual story they told. As such, we wondered what the participant’s reflections on these photographs would be, and whether the participant extracted similar meaning from the photographs as we had, given that he had experienced it ‘first-hand’. We asked the participant to write a reflection on each one of seven chosen photographs, with particular emphasis on his sense of achievement. We were unsure how the participant would respond and whether he would be able to engage with his feelings on achievement. We anticipated that potentially his accounts might veer towards the descriptive or focus on the procedural aspects of the event. In reality, we were blown away by the depth of his reflections and his engagement with the task, coupled with an unrivalled eloquence of expression about his achievement. We felt compelled to share his story and promote this research method within our then home discipline where this is an often neglected research tool. This first work was published in an Olympic special issue of the Qualitative Methods in Psychology (QMiP) bulletin (Wakefield and Watt, 2012) and from there we disseminated our experience further at the British Psychological Society Sport and Exercise Psychology Conference (Manchester, 2013). In many ways, therefore, our first encounter with visual methods was a happy accident.

Our research experiences then alerted us to the potentially powerful nature of the tool in eliciting participant cathartic reflections. As such, this sparked our enthusiasm to consider how to expose and engage our students with photography as a visual method. It also offered a counterpoint to the traditional research methods that they were currently being taught. Here, the students completed their own visual methods group projects as part of a postgraduate assessment. Students could take (or use existing) photographs to form reflective pieces about various aspects of family, environment or culture within which they live. For example, some students chose to use childhood photographs and others used photographs that represented emotions. The students engaged in reflections on their own photographs, before sharing these with the other group members and noting similarities and differences of opinion in each other’s perceptions of the photographs and associated meanings.

We talk more about our pedagogic experience in Chapter 4 but for now it is enough to say that student engagement and commitment to these projects exceeded our expectations and underpins the aim of this text in encouraging the wider teaching of visual methods as an exciting and rewarding means of data collection. That is one that can be utilised in both higher and further education but also importantly, one that engages students with the research process by tapping into the visual practices that students ordinarily engage in via social media.

Alongside innovations in technology, it is evident that visual methods are advancing (Pink, 2012) but dissemination of such techniques through to the classroom and through subsequent application across the social sciences can be less common. Important to our learning and teaching has been first defining the scope of visual methods that we might use as social researchers and which can successfully be transferred through to our pedagogic practice. This is an important point because it is beyond the scope of this book to cover the many visual methods used in research today. Instead we focus simply on two- and three-dimensional methods that we believe can be incorporated into curricula, namely drawing, film, video, photographs and bricolage.

To this end, this book has two overarching aims: (1) to theoretically ground the use of visual methods as a highly innovative and useful means of data collection, (2) to inform pedagogic practice around the use of visual methods in the classroom and in so doing, provide sound guidance and practical advice to practitioners. The focus of this edited text is therefore to promote the use of visual methods more widely in the social sciences but, in particular, to encourage its use in HE programmes, to equip practitioners with the theoretical knowledge and pedagogic confidence to explore its potential through to the classroom and ultimately to enhance student experience of research data collection through its usage.

We recognise that there are some excellent texts on visual methods of data collection across the social sciences (e.g., Reavey, 2011; Spencer, 2011; Pink, 2012; Emmison, Smith and Mayall, 2012; Rose, 2013; Banks and Zeitlyn, 2015). The objective and justification for the text is to bring together the underpinning theoretical framework of visual methods. However, its overarching focus is as a teaching text: one that encourages the teaching of visual methods in the classroom but also sets out to pedagogically equip HE practitioners with the knowledge and confidence to design courses that disseminate visual methods as an appropriate and relevant data collection technique; also, one which gives direction to practitioners to promote students’ hands-on practical experience through classes and assessment.

The book comprises three parts. In Part I, which consists of four chapters, we focus on the theoretical and practical application of visual methods, the related ethical issues and how it can be meaningfully embedded into higher education curricula. In Chapter 2 we consider visual research in the social world and contextualise its historical roots. This briefly explores the origins of visual methods, how these developed and evolved into the methods used in social science research today. Further it goes on to outline contemporary theoretical frameworks that we have found highly valuable in our own research and teaching and, which have added a critical dimension to our work. Chapter 3 goes on to explore the ethical considerations of using visual methods and related challenges, critically considering questions of ethical practice. Necessarily it explores the use of visual methods alongside the relevant codes of conduct (for example, the British Sociological Association and British Psychological Society codes of practice) and offers subject-specific guidance for its use in the classroom alongside practical pedagogic advice for practitioners. Chapter 4 focuses on the development of pedagogical application. This chapter turns its gaze to the design of curricula that include visual elements. It focuses first on models of learning and how teaching can be best structured in the enhancement of learning. The focus then moves to how visual methods can be incorporated into the curriculum as a vehicle for learning and teaching but one which also provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in creative and practical assessment. Further, in this chapter we discuss the pedagogical implications of assessing work that goes beyond set parameters and suggest ways in which assessment criteria can mediate this.

Part II is made up of pedagogical case studies where practitioners have incorporated visual methods into their curricula and teaching. Part II is further divided into two discrete sections that in the first instance look at case studies that utilise different visual methods, as distinct from the second part which focuses on different student populations and environments. In Chapter 5, the use of film in the assessment of undergraduate programmes is considered. The chapter explores how clips from feature films can enhance the student understanding of phenomenon, particularly in relation to assessment. Of key focus, this chapter explores the interpretation that students attribute to fictional footage based on the subjective nature of their worldviews, followed by prospective thoughts on how film can promote and enhance the development of empathetic understanding and reflection. Chapter 6 focuses on a drawing-based intervention. It explores the experience of social science students required to draw visual representations of their emotional experiences in relation to feedback and assessment within higher education. This chapter then unpacks how drawing can empower and enable students to critically reflect on their learning experiences and in turn engage in the reflexive process. Chapter 7 focuses on a range of techniques associated with intervention design and evaluation of using creative arts within undergraduate teaching and assessment. The chapter further explores the challenges faced by both the student and the teaching and learning practitioner in the context of engagement, performance and the development of graduate employability skills.

Moving on to focus on different population groups, Chapter 8 discusses visual methodological tools and considers the challenges and possibilities associated with film and photo-ethnography, as legitimate data sources and teaching resources in undergraduate teaching. It explores whether these methods can offer students a degree of insight that may be unavailable via alternative means, pertaining to the underpinning values, socio-political context, opportunities, possibilities and challenges of the projects discussed. Chapter 9 focuses on curriculum design but in particular the related pedagogic, practical and ethical issues of using visual techniques while undertaking field work with students. Specific attention is paid to the positive and rich experiences that students subsequently report when given the opportunity to incorporate visual methods when collecting field data. Finally, Chapter 10 considers the use of visual methods when crossing over cultures. This chapter explores the use of visual methods such as photographs and drawings in respect of working with students in an extended field trip to an Asian country. More specifically it will unpack and discuss the collection of visual data while at the same time addressing considerations around cultural and ethical responsibility.

Part III considers the overarching benefits and challenges of using and teaching visual methods in higher education curricula. Through critical discussion it focuses on the preceding case studies, giving examples of good practice and offering practical advice and potential solutions for common arising issues. Going full circle this final chapter then focuses on the use of visual methods in the social sciences, suggesting ways in which their usage could be embraced more fully. The necessity of the inclusion of a range of visual methods across both undergraduate and postgraduate curricula is highlighted in respect of developing students with balanced and well-rounded research methods training and the necessary skills to utilise visual methods as a meaningful qualitative technique in collecting data. The final chapter contains a range of practitioner resources. These resources are designed to form a basis for reference for practitioners who are considering implementing visual methods into their curricula. Here, templates and idea banks are provided to assist with this journey, and can be adapted according to individual preference and need.

References

Banks, M. and Zeitlyn, D. (2015). Visual methods in social research. London: Sage.

Emmison, M., Smith, P. and Mayall, M. (2012). Researching the visual (2nd edn). London: Sage.

Pink, S. (2012). Advances in visual methodologies. London: Sage.

Reavey, P. (2011). Back to experience: psychology and the visual. In P. Reavey (ed.), Visual methods in psychology: using and interpreting images in qualitative research (pp. 1–13). New York, NY: Routledge.

Rose, G. (2013). Visual methodologies. London: Sage.

Spencer, S. (2011). Visual research methods in the social sciences: awakening visions. London: Routledge.

Wakefield, C. and Watt, S. (2012). ‘There will always be a part of you that wants to return’: a reflective photo elicitation of an Ironman triathlon. Qualitative Methods in Psychology, Special Issue: Focus on Sport and Performance, 2(14), 40–52.

2

LOOKING BACK

The use of visual methods in the social sciences

Sal Watt and Caroline Wakefield

Background

Engaging our students in subject matter can sometimes be challenging, particularly so when it comes to teaching research methods. This could be for a variety of reasons including: Students would perhaps prefer not to engage in the respective philosophical approaches that underpin research methods; lack of understanding regarding the relevance of research methods to students’ chosen disciplines; or simply the practicalities of actually conducting research. Whatever the resistance, when designing curricula this presents us with thought-provoking but also creative opportunities to engage students in research methods learning that importantly speaks to students at a level they understand and can experience alongside their everyday life and practices. Different learning styles and the range of these across and among the student body add to the challenge with some students preferring the rigidity or certainty of scientific or experimental methods of gathering and analysing data, while others prefer the more fluid nature of qualitative methods. In our own experience as students (in different subject areas), curriculum experience of qualitative methods equated to a brief introduction to observation and interviews. However, as teachers we wanted our own students to have a much wider experience of qualitative methods, and so a number of years ago we started to design curricula that extended qualitative provision at our home institution to include project work based on visual methods of data collection.

Through our own research experience, we found ourselves falling into the use of visual methods quite by chance. As it turned out, a fortuitous research opportunity subsequently went on to inform our pedagogy and enhanced the desire to engage students in a data collection method that spoke to them alongside their everyday practice of taking photographs. As regular consumers of social media and related technological applications such as ‘Instagram’ and ‘Sn...