Being Participatory Through Photo-Based Images

Arts-based participatory methods provide an opportunity for the involvement of children and young people in research in meaningful ways, facilitating their engagement, communication, control and interpretation of their own experiences. In this chapter the participation of children and young people in research, through arts-based methods using photographic images, is explored. These methods include photo voice and photo elicitation. Such participatory research methods enhance access to children’s own views and understandings, as a way of creating a space in which the voices of children and young people are welcomed, respected and heard. These methods have resonance with children’s lives and their day-to-day activities. For many children, these participatory research methods can be fun and can accommodate individual children’s skills, abilities and interests—children and young people often feel more comfortable and confident using drawings, photographs and videos than relying solely on words.