Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging Benefits

This article explores the use of photovoice as an evaluation method in a high school summer bridge program (the Innovators program). Photovoice is a participatory research method where participants take photographs and share narratives in response to prompts that solicit their perspectives and expe...

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Main Authors: Mostafa Hanafy, Melissa Goodnight, Valerie O'Brien
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jmde.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/1179
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author Mostafa Hanafy
Melissa Goodnight
Valerie O'Brien
author_facet Mostafa Hanafy
Melissa Goodnight
Valerie O'Brien
author_sort Mostafa Hanafy
collection DOAJ
description This article explores the use of photovoice as an evaluation method in a high school summer bridge program (the Innovators program). Photovoice is a participatory research method where participants take photographs and share narratives in response to prompts that solicit their perspectives and experiences. With the goal of promoting critical dialogue between participants, photovoice method leverages the power of emic knowledge and visual representation to influence programmatic change. We explain how photovoice was implemented in a K-12 mixed methods evaluation and the practical and ethical considerations that evaluators must weigh. Findings indicate that photovoice not only enhances participant engagement but also serves as a valuable tool for program evaluation, yielding rich, qualitative data that traditional methods may overlook. Drawing on a multi-year evaluation of the Innovators program, the article contributes to the growing literature on photovoice by examining what the method means for young participants, in addition to describing the photovoice design and implementation processes.
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issn 1556-8180
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University
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series Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
spelling doaj-art-4c0a357a160b4beba1912081bf0b96472025-08-20T04:02:27ZengThe Evaluation Center at Western Michigan UniversityJournal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation1556-81802025-08-01215110.56645/jmde.v21i51.1179Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging BenefitsMostafa Hanafy0Melissa Goodnight1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1106-6665Valerie O'Brien2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5857-6385University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign This article explores the use of photovoice as an evaluation method in a high school summer bridge program (the Innovators program). Photovoice is a participatory research method where participants take photographs and share narratives in response to prompts that solicit their perspectives and experiences. With the goal of promoting critical dialogue between participants, photovoice method leverages the power of emic knowledge and visual representation to influence programmatic change. We explain how photovoice was implemented in a K-12 mixed methods evaluation and the practical and ethical considerations that evaluators must weigh. Findings indicate that photovoice not only enhances participant engagement but also serves as a valuable tool for program evaluation, yielding rich, qualitative data that traditional methods may overlook. Drawing on a multi-year evaluation of the Innovators program, the article contributes to the growing literature on photovoice by examining what the method means for young participants, in addition to describing the photovoice design and implementation processes. https://jmde.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/1179Photovoiceschool-based evaluationhigh schoolqualitative methodequitysummer-bridge program
spellingShingle Mostafa Hanafy
Melissa Goodnight
Valerie O'Brien
Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging Benefits
Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
Photovoice
school-based evaluation
high school
qualitative method
equity
summer-bridge program
title Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging Benefits
title_full Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging Benefits
title_fullStr Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging Benefits
title_full_unstemmed Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging Benefits
title_short Implementing Photovoice in School-based Evaluations: Navigating Challenges and Leveraging Benefits
title_sort implementing photovoice in school based evaluations navigating challenges and leveraging benefits
topic Photovoice
school-based evaluation
high school
qualitative method
equity
summer-bridge program
url https://jmde.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/1179
work_keys_str_mv AT mostafahanafy implementingphotovoiceinschoolbasedevaluationsnavigatingchallengesandleveragingbenefits
AT melissagoodnight implementingphotovoiceinschoolbasedevaluationsnavigatingchallengesandleveragingbenefits
AT valerieobrien implementingphotovoiceinschoolbasedevaluationsnavigatingchallengesandleveragingbenefits