Picturing English: Participatory photography in a college EFL classroom in Taiwan 21 st SLED Symposium Yi-Ching Lee

What is Photovoice?  A brief history & evolution  Development in the mid-1990’s  Caroline Wang and colleagues (Wang & Burris, 1994,1997; Wang, Yi, Tao & Carovano, 1998)  Originated in the field of health education and public health  Taken up as a feminist methodology in various fields (i.e.: education) ( Nelson & Christensen, 2009; Nimmon & Begoray, 2009; Strack, Magill & McDonagh, 2004; Wilson, Dasho, Martin, Wallerstein, Wang & Minkkler, 2007; Zenkov & Harmon, 2009 )

Theoretical underpinnings:  Critical theory (Freire’s problem posing)  Documentary research  Feminist action research (See Meyer & Kroeger, 2005 and Catalani & Minkler, 2009 for a detailed literature review)

An adaptation of Photovoice in an EFL classroom Context:  A college EFL class in Taiwan  Participants: 37 sophomore English majors  Embedded in a larger research project

Process:  Discussion of “photographs as texts” & ethics  The overarching theme: experience as an EFL learner in Taiwan  “On the right track” --- two photos sent to the instructor every two weeks  Gallery walk  Focus group discussion, teacher & researcher peer debriefing and reflections

Recurring themes

Pop culture & media Technology Local community And more…

Why in EFL/ESL/FL classrooms?  Interactive and communicative approach to language learning  Reflective language learning  Community building and learner participation  Project-based learning (Brydon-Miller,2006)

My researcher’s stance:  Research or pedagogy?  Data or method to collect data?  Emancipation? Empowerment?

References: Wang, C. & Burris, M. (1994). Empowerment through photo novella: Portraits of participation. Health Education Quarterly, 21, Wang, C. & Burris, M. (1997). Phtovoice: Concept, methodology and use for participatory needs assessment. Health Education and Behavior, 24 (3), Wang, C. C.,Yi, W. K., Tao, Z. W., & Carovano, K. (1998). Photovoice as a participatory health promotion strategy. Health Promotion international, 13 (1), Meyer, H. & Kroeger,S. (2005). Photovoice as an educational action research tool. Qualitative Research Journal, 5 (2), Catalani, C. & Minkler, M. (2010). Photovoice: A review of the literature in health and public health. Health Education and Behavior, 37 (3), Nimmon, L. & Begoray, D. (2008). Creating participatory photonovels: A classroom guide. Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal, 2 (3), Nelson, E. & Christensen, K. (2009). Photovoice in the middle: How out students experience learning at school and beyond. New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, 6 (1), Strack, W., Magill, C. & McDonagh, K. (2004). Engaging youth through photovoice. Health Promotion Practice, 5 (1), Wilson, N., Dasho, S., Martin,A. C., Wallerstein, N., Wang, C., & Minkler, M. (2007). Engaging young adolescents in social action through Photovoice – The Youth Empowerment Strategies (YES!) project. Journal of Early Adolescence, 27 (2), Zenkov, K. & Harmon, J. (2009). Picturing a writing process: Photovoice and teaching writing to urban youth. Journal of Adolescence and Adult Literacy, 52 (7),