Lee: I was wondering whether there would be other ways of participants telling their stories besides photos. For example, by actually writing a story, recording it, uploading it to Youtube etc. I'm thinking about those participants who would prefer to express themselves differently and conducting research that respects their learning preferences. Here in Colombia, students leave school at the age of 16 so many of them are only young adults when they go to university. This adds another ethical dimension to any such research since parents would also have to give their permission. I agree that it is important to aim high, but we only have a limited time to conduct the research, and I think most of us on the
PhD
work full-time. So I'm thinking about ways to get similar data which increase the agency of participants but require less time investment. Perhaps participants could use photos/videos they've already taken/recorded and published on social media. A workshop could then focus on choosing the appropriate photos/videos and discussing ethical concerns/permissions.
Patricia:
I think it's a good idea to use existing material, such as photos, videos or texts that students can collect. As Lee says, this would save time, which is a major restriction in our research work. I believe that this proposed form of work preserves the principle of digital storytelling method by allowing different narrative opportunities beyond traditional media. It would also be important to preserve the instances in which students freely organize the material they collect, since the process of joining the different pieces of material into a coherent story allows them to reflect on their own experiences and give them meaning. From my point of view, the latter is vital to develop some capabilities in students.
Summary
- We all agree that the digital storytelling method is inspiring and fascinating. We find it very valuable that, at the same time as research is being carried out, students/co-researchers develop new capabilities.
- There are concerns about the time and resources that a project like this requires, even when we recognize that the effort is worthwhile. The idea of adapting the method to time constraints has arisen, using existing material instead of creating it. Even in this way, the students freely collecting and organizing the material would allow different narratives of their own experiences.
- Another important concern is about the ethical issues involved (for example, in the case that permission must be sought from the parents of students under 18 years of age).
- The underlying social justice approach is explicit in the project: The Capability Approach. From this paradigm, we have identified some capabilities and functionalities that are present in the Photovoice project.We all agree that the digital storytelling method is inspiring and fascinating.