Date of Award

4-2020

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Dr. Lucius Hallett, IV

Second Advisor

Dr. Michelle Metro-Roland

Third Advisor

Dr. Nicholas L. Padilla

Keywords

Photovoice, par, geography, meta-analysis, graduate research

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Photovoice was developed in the early 1990s for use in public health studies evolving from participatory action research (PAR) and photographic methods. It attempts to mitigate the power dynamics between researcher and researched by allowing participants to be the primary knowledge producers. The Photovoice methodology has left open methodological avenues to implement Photovoice as a research tool in many fields. This research aimed to modify the Photovoice methodology to include mobile technology, social media to create a new model of Photovoice.

This research was conducted in K.I. Sawyer, MI, a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan over a one-month period. The goal was to have citizens take pictures of K.I. Sawyer and to discuss and think critically about these pictures. Recruitment was completed using the USPS Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) service which was unsuccessful. This low recruitment (n=1) complicated the research process. This led to a change in multiple aspects of the new model, including the deletion of the focus groups, and the overall failure of the implementation of the new model. These changes facilitated a meta-analysis to assess the success of the new model, photovoice as a methodology and how it connects to geographical research.

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