Email this article “Still I shine”: Student photovoice project on racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion at a public university in the United States
Abstract
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in Higher Education have been approached from the majority group membership, often not fully integrating input from marginalized groups. In this study we explored a public university students’ view of racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion on campus. We utilized the Photovoice method, in which participants express their community’s strengths and concerns, and promote critical dialogue and knowledge about important community issues through group discussions of photographs. Twenty students of different racial and ethnic identities from various majors and stages of study participated in the project. Each weekly session focused either on exploring the topic of ethnic/racial DEI on campus, learning, and practicing specific photography skills using smart phones, or on taking and discussing photos. Thematic analysis of students’ photos and captions resulted in four main themes, Importance of Diversity, Privilege, Barriers, and Power of Education/Need to Fight for Equity. Students’ written reflections revealed that working on this project increased their awareness of campus inequities, their self-esteem, provided motivation to stand up for themselves and others, and decreased their feelings of isolation
References
Agarwal, N., Moya, E.M., Yasui, N. Y., & Seymour, C. (2015). Participatory Action Research with college students with disabilities: Photovoice for an inclusive campus. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 28 (2), 243 – 250.
Ahmed, S. (2012). On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life. Duke University Press Books.
Amos, S., Read, K., Cobb, M., & Pabani, N. (2012). Facilitating a Photovoice Project: What you need to know! The Nova Scotia Participatory Food Costing Project of the Nova Scotia Food Security Network, 1-32.
Ancis, J., Sedlacek,W. & Mohr, J. (2000). Student perceptions of campus cultural climate by race. Journal of Counseling and Development. 78, 180-185.
Aragón, O., Dovidio, J. & Graham, M. (2017). Colorblind and multicultural ideologies are associated with faculty adoption of inclusive teaching practices. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10(3), 201-215.
Arao, B., & Clemens, K. (2013). From safe spaces to brave spaces: a new way to frame dialogue around diversity and social justice. In L. Landreman (Ed.), The art of effective facilitation: reflections from social justice educators (pp. 135-150). Stylus Publishing.
Benevento, A. (2022). Studying values about childhood using networked photography on Instagram. Semiotica, 2022(246), 19-47. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2021-0056
Banks, T., & Dohy, J. (2019). Mitigating barriers to persistence: A review of efforts to improve retention and graduation rates for students of color in higher education. Higher Education Studies, 9(1), 118-131. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v9n1p118
Blake, J. H., & Moore, E. L. (2004). Retention and graduation of Black students: A comprehensive strategy. In I. M. Duranczyk, J. L. Higbee, & D. B. Lundell (Eds.), Best practices for access and retention in higher education (pp. 63-72). Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, General College, University of Minnesota.
Bonilla-Silva, E. (2021). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in America. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Braun, V., & Clarke V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cabrera, N., Watson, J., & Franklin, J. (2016). Racial arrested development: A critical whiteness analysis of the campus ecology. Journal of College Student Development. 57(2), 119-134. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0014
CohenMiller, A., & Izekenova, Z. (2022). Motherhood in Academia during the COVID‐19 Pandemic: An international online photovoice study addressing issues of equity and inclusion in higher education. Innovative Higher Education, 47(5), 813–835. https://doi.org/1007/s10755-022-09605-w
Cornell, J., & Kessi, S. (2017). Black students’ experiences of transformation at a previously “white only” South African university: A photovoice study. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40(11), 1882-1899. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2016.1206585
Cornell, J., Kessi, S., & Ratele, K. (2022). Examining the dynamics of belonging and alienation in higher education through photovoice. Health Promotion Practice, 23(2), 325–330. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/15248399211054779
Editors of Inside Higher Ed. (2021). The Black experience in higher education. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.usf.edu/president/anti-racism/documents/resources/the-black-experience-in-higher-education.pdf
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2008). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry, 1–43. Sage Publications, Inc.
Gaboardi, M., Gatti, F., Santinello, M., Gandino, G., Guazzini, A. Guidi, E., Novara, C., Sola, T., Ceglie, E., Di Fini, G., Di Napoli, G., & Procentese, F. (2022). The photo diaries method to catch the daily experience of Italian university students during COVID-19 lockdown. Community Psychology in Global Perspective, 8(2), 59-80. https://doi.org/10.1285/i24212113v8i2p59
Giroux, H. (2003). Selling out higher education. Policy Futures in Education, 1(1), 179-200. https://doi.org/10.2304/pfie.2003.1.
Glass, K., Glass, C., & Lynch, J. (2016). Student engagement and affordances for interaction with diverse peers: A network analysis. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 9(2), 170-187. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0039726
Gonzales, L. D., Hall, K., Benton, A., Kanhai, D., & Núñez, A.-M. (2021). Comfort over change: A case study of diversity and inclusivity efforts in U.S. higher education. Innovative Higher Education, 46(4), 445–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-020-09541-7
Griffin, K., Glass, C. & Mwangi, C. (2016). Defining Diversity: Ethnic Differences in Black Students’ Perceptions of Racial Climate. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 9(1), 34-49.
Holtslander, L. (2015). Applying constructivist grounded theory methods. In M. De Chesnay (Ed.), nursing research using grounded theory: Qualitative designs and methods in nursing (pp. 75-90). Springer Publishing Company.
Jones, V. A., & Kunkle, K. (2022). Unmarked privilege and marked oppression: Analyzing predominantly white and minority serving institutions as racialized organizations. Innovative Higher Education, 47(5), 755–774. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10755-022-09610-z
Kiger, M., & Varpio, L. (2020). Thematic analysis of qualitative data: AMEE Guide No. 131. Medical Teacher, 42(8), 846–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1755030
Marichal, J. (2009). Frame evolution: A new approach to understanding changes in diversity reforms at public universities in the United States. The Social Science Journal, 46, 171-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2008.12.015
McCoy, D., Winkle-Wagner, R. & Luedke, C. (2015). Colorblind mentoring? Exploring white faculty mentoring of students of color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 8(4), 225-242. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/A0038676
Minikel-Lacocque, J. (2013). Racism, college, and the power of words: Racial microaggressions reconsidered. American Educational Research Journal, 50(3), 432–465. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0002831212468048
Minthorn, R., & Marsh, T. (2016). Centering indigenous college student voices and perspectives through photovoice and photo-elicitation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 47, 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2016.04.010
Miranda, D., Zhelyazkova, L., & Sladkova, J. (2021). A photovoice project for ethnic health justice: Reflections from Roma communities in Seville, Spain. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, 12(2), 1-17. https://www.gjcpp.org/en/article.php?issue=39&article=236
Nguyen, M. H., Chan, J., Nguyen, B. M. D., & Teranishi, R. T. (2017). Beyond compositional diversity: Examining the campus climate experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000071
Nowell, L., Norris, J., White, D., & Moules, N. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Qin, D., & Lykes, B. (2006). Reweaving a fragmented self: A grounded theory of self‐understanding among Chinese women students in the United States of America, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19(2), 177-200. https//doi.org/10.1080/09518390600576087
Rankin, S., & Reason, R. (2005). Differing perception: How students of color and White students perceive campus climate for underrepresented groups. Journal of College Student Development. 46(1), 43-61. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2005.0008
Rose, G. (2016). Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. Sage Publications Ltd.
Rose, S. (2013). The Value of a College Degree. Change, 45(6), 24-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2013.842101
Roussell, A., Henne, K., Glover, K. S., & Willits, D. (2019). Impossibility of a reverse racism effect: A rejoinder to James, James, and Vila. Criminology & Public Policy, 18(1), E5-E16. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12289
Stewart A., & Valian, V. (2017). An inclusive academy: Achieving diversity and excellence. The MIT Press.
Strauss, A.L., & Corbin J.M. (1990). The basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. SAGE.
Tomar, N., & Stoffel, V. (2014). Examining the lived experience and factors influencing education of two student veterans using photovoice methodology. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(4), 430-438. https://doi.org/ 10.5014/ajot.2014.011163
U.S Census Bureau (2022, March 1). About the topic of race. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.html
Wang, C., Burris, M.A., & Ping X.Y. (1996). Chinese village women as visual anthropologists: A participatory approach to reaching policymakers. Social Science & Medicine, 42(10), 1391-1400. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(95)00287-1
Worthington, R., Navarro, R., Lowey, M. & Hart, J. (2008). Color-blind racial attitudes, social dominance orientation, racial-ethnic group membership and college students’ perceptions of campus climate. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(1), 8-19. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/1938-8926.1.1.8
Full Text: PDF
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
