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Unit 3

Project Findings: Method 1: PhotoVoice Intervention

Research Design

For the first PhotoVoice method, students were asked via email prior to our tutorial to bring a photo that represented how they were feeling about the course. The photo could reflect their personal life, artistic practice, or any challenges they were facing. This method was employed as an initiall icebreaker during a 30-minute one-to-one tutorial held online via Teams in an otherwise structured tutorial programme. The photo served as a gateway to initiating deeper conversations more quickly about their emotional and artistic state, with follow-up questions exploring themes such as sense of belonging, connection, and personal experiences.

Data collected: Looking at both Students Visual and dialectic responses together:

  • Student 1: Shared a sculpture they had made of an inaccurate x-ray image of a bone. They described how the sculpture symbolized adaptability and growth through challenges. The student explained that the colour blue in the sculpture represented something messy, emotional, even sad, but ultimately expressed that they were happy and content despite these struggles.
  • Image: A sculpture made by the student symbolizing an inaccurate X-ray image of a bone.
  • Reflection: “I have worked out that I can support myself, that I can adapt and find a way to grow through problems and challenges. The colour blue represents something messy, emotional, sad even. Despite that, I am still happy.”
  • Student 2: Brought in a monochrome image of an object in a dark space with butterflies, which they described as representing a feeling of confusion and excitement. They related this to their interest in fashion textiles, particularly womenswear, drawing inspiration from nature and feeling a strong connection to the elements in their studies.
  • Image: A monochrome image of part of an object in a dark space with butterflies.
  • Reflection: “I don’t know if I am confused or excited. Fashion textiles, women’s wear is where I’d like to progress. My inspiration comes from the elements of nature—it’s where I find my ideas for my studies. I feel really connected.”
  • Student 3: Shared a self-portrait of themselves wearing funny glasses, smiling. This student, from Peru, reflected on how art is not traditionally seen as a career path in their home country. They expressed gratitude for their family’s support in pursuing their artistic journey but also acknowledged the challenge of adjusting to the fast-paced environment of the course.
  • Image: A self-portrait in class, smiling, wearing funny glasses.
  • Reflection: “I’m new, coming from Peru where people don’t take the Arts seriously. I am not from a traditional educational background, there are no A-levels in Peru, and art is not a career—it’s traditional. I am grateful for my family’s support of their decision to help me on this arts journey. I am happy, and making new friends. I like painting, to reflect how I am feeling. Though it is stressful to make work in the class—it’s hard to focus when making personal work in a group space. The fast pace is challenging.”
  • Student 4: Talked about how they were enjoying experimenting and adapting to a new way of working, coming from a strict academic background. They described their constant desire to create, saying that even after a full day at college, they still wanted to go home and continue making.
  • Image: A representation of experimentation, with no definition.
  • Reflection: “I am feeling that I am enjoying what I am doing, experimenting a lot. Not defining anything—getting used to a totally new way of working. I’ve come from strict academia to the arts. I like to work—I come home after college and I want to keep making.”
  • Student 5: Presented an image of text reading words like ‘build, speak, dance, surprise, multiply.’ The student, from China, talked about their interest in 3D models and product design, expressing frustration with fashion or drawing but feeling excited about working with real materials like wood and paper.
  • Image: Text words such as “build, speak, dance, surprise, multiply, eat, bend, blow, break, move, sneeze.”
  • Reflection: “I am Chinese. I find it difficult to submit homework. I like structures and film and animation. It is interesting, I really want to learn and see something new. I’m not good at fashion or drawing—I don’t wish to sit down. I want to make something—3D models. Materials—wood and paper. Real things. Product design maybe. I have ideas to keep making something new.”
  • Student 6: Student 6: Showed a faded image from a fashion communication project. They reflected on their interest in subcultures and architectural elements, describing their excitement about experimental, exploratory practices within the course.
  • Image: A faded image from a fashion communication project, featuring a figure with a white stick.
  • Reflection: “I come from Canada. Until now, I had a self-directed practice, a personal studio for my independent study. This photo is of a subculture redesign. It represents the white UK—what the ancient Greeks and Romans expect the future to be like. It’s a fascinating new course—experimental, exploring, embracing the exploratory. I like the structural, so I’m also enjoying architecture.”
  • Student 7: Shared a humorous image of a dog, which led to reflections on their previous studies in visual arts and technology. They expressed confusion about the research aspect of the course, asking for clarity on what was expected in terms of research output and sketchbook
  • Image: A soppy dog tilting its head, looking sad.
  • Reflection: “This is an indie mix in India, my cousin’s dog, but we all lived together. His name is Devil. Laughs. I am a bit confused. I previously did BIB in visual arts and technology, where I did lots of research. I don’t know if I am doing research here too much or too little? Am I doing it right? I have concerns—how do I do my research? What do you want it to be about? What do I put in my research? How do you want to see my sketchbooks?”
  • Student 8: Used a meme of a cat with a question mark to symbolize their sense of experimentation and exploration. They talked about their background in narrative-driven art and how they enjoyed the open-ended, exploratory nature of the course, though they found the fast pace tiring.
  • Image: A meme of a cat with a question mark above its head.
  • Reflection: “I am liking experimenting. IV school is very different. I am used to working with meaning and impactful messaging, deep and meaningful exhibitions, etc. Here it is more done with free will, no pressure to leave things feeling polished. Painting, illustration, film, animation—I like it, but it’s fast-paced. It’s tiring—not sure which pathway to choose, but I know that what I like is the sense of narrative and storytelling. It’s fun to explore different ways of exploring a way and means of telling something.”

Analysis of Data from Method 1: Further observations on Verbal recordings and Visual Notes

Analysis of Method 1: Summary of Students Verbal Reflections:

  • The students seemed to have expressed a mix of emotions such as excitement, confusion, and happiness, often linking their chosen images to personal and academic challenges.
  • Many students reflected on their aspirations, with several expressing a strong desire to pursue careers in fashion textiles, product design, and architecture, drawing inspiration from nature, personal histories, or subcultures.
  • Several students noted the fast pace of the course and the challenges of adapting to the new learning environment, with some feeling uncertain about how to approach certain aspects, like research or artistic identity.
  • The images also served as a tool to help students open up about their emotions, offering insight into their sense of belonging and their evolving artistic identities.

Analysis of Method 1: Thematic Analysis of Drawings and Verbal Responses: Curated Groupings

The PhotoVoice method, as implemented revealed some important emotional and academic responses that provide deeper insights into how students perceive their identity, sense of belonging, and connection to the course. I have looked at these in several distinct structured groupings of core themes within my analysis, and relied on using observations based on interpreting the verbal and visual data of which I have looked at both individually and together.

1. Emotional Expression and Personal Identity

  • Themes of Struggle and Resilience: Many students shared images and reflections that symbolized personal struggles but also emphasized resilience. For example, Student 1’s sculpture symbolizing adaptability and growth through challenges, with the colour blue representing emotional struggle, reflects the tension between emotional difficulties and a sense of personal strength. Similarly, Student 7’s image of a sad dog conveys a feeling of homesickness and confusion, indicating vulnerability, while their reflective questioning about research and sketchbooks suggests a need for clarity and direction.
  • Confusion and Uncertainty: Several students expressed feelings of confusion, often through abstract or emotionally evocative imagery. For instance, Student 2’s photo of butterflies in a dark space captures a sense of uncertainty, while their reflection about being both confused and excited reveals an internal conflict. This reflects the early stage of their academic journey, where they are navigating their creative path and grappling with self-doubt.
  • Personal Connections and Cultural Identity: Student 3’s light-hearted self-portrait wearing funny glasses provides insight into how humour and personal identity are ways to cope with the challenges of a new academic environment. This student’s reflection about coming from Peru, where art is not traditionally seen as a career, shows a cultural dimension to their experience, highlighting the intersection of personal history and professional aspirations. This is indicative of how students may grapple with cultural expectations and the pressures of fitting into a new learning context.

2. Aspirations and Professional Identity

  • Creative Directions and Career Pathways: A significant number of students used their images as an entry point to reflect on their professional goals and artistic identities. For example, Student 2, through the image of butterflies and darkness, connects their excitement and confusion to their desire to pursue fashion textiles. This suggests that the PhotoVoice exercise helped students reflect on how their current studies relate to their future aspirations, bridging their personal experiences with their academic and professional identities.
  • Artistic Self-Discovery: Several students expressed that their academic journey, though challenging, is leading them to discover new facets of their artistic identity. Student 4’s reflection about enjoying experimentation and not defining their work shows how they are embracing the freedom that comes with studying art, especially after coming from a structured academic background. Similarly, Student 6’s fascination with architecture and the structural aspects of design aligns with their excitement about exploring a more experimental approach in their studies.

3. Sense of Belonging and Disconnection

  • Incorporating the Self into the Creative Process: Many of the students’ reflections, including Student 5’s response about wanting to make 3D models and work with real materials, indicate a desire to create work that is deeply personal and connected to their own identities. This was also true for Student 8, whose meme of a cat with a question mark symbolizes uncertainty but also an open-ended approach to their artistic journey. The students’ openness about their creative processes illustrates the role of art in fostering personal expression and a sense of belonging in a community of practice.
  • Sense of Disconnection and Adjustment: While there were overall positive reflections, some students clearly experienced challenges in adapting to the new learning environment. Student 7 expressed confusion about the research aspect of the course, questioning whether they were doing too much or too little research. This reflects a sense of disconnection from the academic structure, highlighting the difficulties some students face in adjusting to the expectations and pace of the course.

4. Social and Cultural Factors

  • Cultural Backgrounds and Artistic Practice: The diversity of the students’ cultural backgrounds played a significant role in their reflections. Student 3’s reflection about art not being a respected career in Peru adds a cultural layer to the discussion, showing how cultural context influences students’ perceptions of their art practice and academic journey. These cultural dimensions provide a rich context for understanding their emotional and intellectual engagement with their studies.
  • Peer and Tutor Relationships: The students’ verbal responses to the PhotoVoice exercise, particularly those who had difficulty finding an image initially, underscore the importance of empathetic interaction between the tutor and students. As seen with Student 7, who initially struggled but later engaged deeply, the role of the tutor as a facilitator and empathetic listener was crucial in helping students overcome challenges and reflect on their experiences. This highlights the effectiveness of the PhotoVoice method in facilitating authentic, supportive dialogues.

7. Emotional Landscape: Navigating Struggles and Success

  • Emotional Struggles and Coping Mechanisms: Several students shared images and verbal reflections that revealed deep emotional struggles. Student 1’s sculpture of an inaccurate X-ray bone symbolized not only emotional distress (represented by the color blue) but also resilience. This suggests that students were not only facing difficulties in adjusting to the academic environment but were also finding ways to navigate and adapt to these challenges. The use of symbolic images like this one indicates how students internalize academic pressures, offering a space for them to reflect on personal growth despite adversity.
  • Expressing Uncertainty and Confusion: Student 2’s monochrome image of butterflies in a dark space reveals confusion but also excitement, capturing the uncertainty many students feel at the start of their academic journey. This uncertainty is typical of new learners who are still discovering their artistic identity and academic path. The butterfly metaphor is particularly powerful—it symbolizes transformation, yet the darkness suggests hesitation or doubt. This blend of excitement and confusion captures the essence of the emotional state many students experience as they transition into a new environment and creative practice.
  • Sense of Belonging and Connection: The photos also reflect a strong desire to belong to the course, with many students discussing their need for support. For instance, Student 3, who shared a self-portrait of themselves wearing funny glasses, conveyed the pressure of adjusting to a new academic and cultural environment. As a student from Peru, they noted that art is not traditionally seen as a career, yet they expressed gratitude for the support of their family. Their reflection reveals how the PhotoVoice method helped students link their personal histories with their current academic experiences, thus fostering a sense of connection to the course and their peers.

8. Artistic Identity and Aspirations

  • Self-Exploration and Artistic Identity: Students used their photos to explore their artistic identity, often tying it to their aspirations. For example, Student 2 connected their photo of butterflies to their passion for fashion textiles, specifically womenswear, drawing inspiration from nature. This reveals how the PhotoVoice method acted as a catalyst for students to articulate their interests and creative aspirations that might not have been immediately apparent in a standard academic context. Students not only expressed what they were feeling but also began to shape their artistic identities, drawing on visual imagery to connect their personal experiences with their creative futures.
  • Desire for Freedom and Self-Expression: Student 4’s reflection about enjoying the freedom to experiment and not define their work reveals an aspiration to break free from academic constraints. They expressed how their previous academic background, focused on rigid definitions, had limited their artistic expression. The PhotoVoice method allowed them to explore the boundary between traditional education and the more open, experimental nature of art and design. This was echoed by other students, like Student 5, who found the creative freedom of the course to be both challenging and liberating. These reflections show the deep-seated need for self-expression that students are cultivating in their artistic practices.

9. Sense of Disconnection and Struggle for Adjustment

  • Cultural and Academic Adjustments: Some students, like Student 3 from Peru, discussed the challenges of adjusting to the course, where art is not traditionally seen as a viable career. This reflection brings attention to the cultural and educational disparities students face when they transition into an academic environment that may be vastly different from their previous experiences. For many students, the PhotoVoice method became a way of bridging that gap, allowing them to express their challenges and aspirations in a safe space.
  • Struggling with the Pace and Expectations: Other students, such as Student 8, expressed feelings of uncertainty about their future pathway. They liked experimenting with different art forms, but the fast-paced nature of the course left them feeling exhausted. Their image of a meme of a cat with a question mark symbolized their confusion and sense of experimentation. This highlights how the PhotoVoice method helped uncover challenges related to academic pressure, pace, and decision-making that are not always articulated in conventional tutorials.

10. The Role of the Tutor and Relationship-Building

  • Empathy and Active Listening: The role of the tutor in the PhotoVoice intervention was crucial in helping students articulate their emotions and experiences. As observed, when students struggled to provide a photo that represented their feelings, the tutor’s empathetic questioning and active listening helped them overcome their hesitations. The open-ended nature of the questions—such as “What does this image represent to you?”—invited deeper exploration of the students’ emotions. This is indicative of how the PhotoVoice method can create a supportive environment, encouraging students to feel heard and valued.
  • Building Trust and Connection: The iterative process of revisiting the initial image throughout the tutorial allowed for continued reflection and the deepening of student-tutor relationships. The image acted as a reference point for the entire session, and this continuity helped students feel more at ease, encouraging them to share further personal reflections. This ongoing conversation not only fostered a deeper understanding of students’ academic and emotional journeys but also helped build trust and rapport.

Summary of Observations:

5. Observational Findings

  • Facilitation of Deep Conversations: The PhotoVoice method I believe successfully facilitated rich, personal and fruitful conversations. The photos served as visual prompts that unlocked deeper conversations about students’ emotions, their sense of belonging, and their creative identity. Even when students hadn’t prepared an image, the prompt was still effective in leading to significant reflections about their academic journey.
  • Preparation: It allowed for limited preparation in advance of our meeting.
  • Structure and Flexibility of the PhotoVoice Method: The structured yet flexible nature of PhotoVoice was beneficial for a variety of students. It allowed them to engage with the exercise on their own terms—whether they chose an image beforehand or reflected in real-time. This flexibility catered to different levels of preparedness and comfort, providing each student with a personal space to explore their experiences and feelings.
  • Insights into Academic and Emotional Journeys: Many of the students used the photo to express their emotional and academic struggles, as well as their aspirations. The exercise helped students articulate feelings that might otherwise have remained unspoken, enabling me as their tutor to gain deeper some insights into their emotional landscapes and personal challenges to support them better. I believe this approach effectively bridged the pastoral and academic aspects of the tutorial well.

Strengths of the PhotoVoice Method:

  1. Emotional Expression: The use of photos allowed students to think around the image, and to express emotions that may have otherwise remained unnoticed, unspoken, or that the student might not have thought benificial in our tutorial. The images served as tangible representations of their feelings, acting as a bridge between their internal states (tacit knowledge) and verbal articulation, and an access point for us to keep coming back to by talking through an image which was really helpful. Many students found it easier to communicate feelings of confusion, fear, and excitement through their images, fostering what felt like a more open and authentic dialogue.
  2. Flexibility and Accessibility: One of the method’s major strengths was its adaptability. Whether students had prepared images in advance or were asked to reflect on themes during the tutorial, the method remained flexible enough to engage each student at their own level. This flexibility allowed students to take the exercise in the direction that suited them best, empowering them to express themselves on their terms.
  3. Holistic Understanding: The combination of verbal reflections and visual data gave me as the tutor a comprehensive understanding of the students’ emotional states, academic progress, and aspirations. This created a richer, more nuanced data set than could be achieved through traditional verbal-only methods like surveys or structured interviews. By observing both the imagery and the students’ explanations, I was as their tutor much more able to gather deeper insights into how the students were navigating their early academic experiences and how they perceived their place within the course.

Limitations of the PhotoVoice Method:

  1. Difficulty in Selecting an Image: For some students, finding an image that captured their feelings was challenging given the choice of selection and caused some hesitation. Though phone images were very accessible- but I also gave them choice and this difficulty could have been more attributed to the unfamiliarity with using visual cues to reflect on life/emotions perhaps. However, through some probing questions to get them started, these students were all able to eventually engage with the exercise and provide some meaningful insights regardless of what image was selected in the end quite quickly.
  2. Cultural Sensitivity and Language Barriers: While PhotoVoice encouraged this deeper reflection, the method may need more attention to cultural sensitivity in future iterations. Students from diverse backgrounds may interpret prompts and visual cues differently, (though this didn’t seem to effect the tutorial output) I thought about perhaps the need for additional contextual guidance or clarification to ensure that the method is fully accessible to all students. As seen with Student 7, whose background in visual arts and technology made them more research-oriented, the adaptation to the arts-based focus of the tutorial could require more time and careful guidance. This was especially noticeable with students who had distinct cultural perspectives, such as those from non-Western countries, who may not have been accustomed to engaging in reflective practices through visual means. The challenge of language barriers also came up, though it was certainly mitigated by the use of visual imagery as something tangible and its consequent verbal reflection.
  3. Time Constraints: The 30-minute time frame for each tutorial created a time barrier for more in-depth exploration. While the PhotoVoice method was successful in eliciting rich conversations quite quickly, the brief duration of the tutorials limited the amount of time available to reflect on the images in detail. Some students needed more time to articulate their emotions and explore the significance of their images fully. This was particularly evident with students who hadn’t prepared their images in advance, as they required additional time to process their thoughts and choose meaningful representations.

Suggestions for Future Iterations:

  1. Clarify the Photo Selection Process: To alleviate some of the hesitation that students feel when selecting an image, future iterations could provide clearer guidelines on how to choose a photo. Offering themes or examples could make the process feel less intimidating and help students focus more on their emotional journey rather than feeling pressured to find the “perfect” image. A set of prompts or inspiration could also ease the decision-making process and enhance engagement.
  2. Expand Time for Reflection: Given the depth of responses that students provided, more time could be allocated for the PhotoVoice exercise or over a longer period of time in a way that can grow understanding. Expanding the tutorial duration or doing more of them would allow for deeper exploration of the emotional, artistic, and academic insights shared by students, making the method even more effective in fostering reflective discussions. Students would benefit from additional time to revisit and reframe their responses, further strengthening their engagement with the process. Though in reality where it is structured in the curriculum it is not always possible.
  3. Incorporate Group Discussions: While one-to-one tutorials were beneficial for personal engagement, incorporating group discussions could further enhance the sense of community among students. By comparing their experiences and reflections, students could find common ground in their struggles and successes, fostering a shared understanding and support system. Group settings would also provide opportunities for students to hear different perspectives, which could enrich their own reflections and inspire new ideas.

Summary of Observations:

Striking personal reflections and artistic aspirations in students allowed them to express authentically through their often personal selection in visual representations, the method facilitated more real and vulnerable conversations that were often tied to their personal and academic experiences. It served as an effective tool for creating dialogue between the tutor and students, encouraging a sense of belonging and inclusion within the course. Thus also allowing me to signpost them where necessary.

However, challenges such as hesitance in image selection and the time limitations of the tutorial session highlighted areas for improvement. Despite these challenges, the method demonstrated significant potential for fostering deeper connections between students, their artwork, and their academic journey. The flexibility of PhotoVoice allowed for personalized engagement, and the holistic nature of the approach provided a deeper understanding of students’ emotional states, helping to bridge the gap between their academic identities and personal experiences.

Overall, PhotoVoice has proven to be a promising tool for encouraging emotional expression and reflection in students, offering valuable insights into their struggles, successes, and sense of belonging in the academic environment.

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