Previous research in stormwater management shows the value of incorporating community input on local watershed issues. But while many studies have focused on understanding adults' perspectives, little is known about how youth view areas of priority and concern in their local environment. Photovoice is a participatory method in which participants take pictures of places or things that they think are important to a specific environment or local issue, and then discuss why each photo is significant. This process gives participants the opportunity to guide their own expression of what is important in their local environment. The authors of this study explored whether Photovoice is an effective tool for understanding how youth perceive local watershed issues.
The authors contacted science teachers at two high schools in the Chesapeake Bay area to recruit participants. In total, 20 students from both schools each took 25 pictures of water-related features in their local watershed. (Each school represented its own watershed.) The students then completed a worksheet to provide a written narrative for 10 of their own photos. The authors identified common trends and themes in the students' photos and narratives to interpret the results of the Photovoice method.
The students' images and narratives identified areas of concern, as well as opportunities for improving watershed issues. The students reported positive associations with most of their photos; the positive associations usually included narratives related to specific water features, like a stream or lake near their home. Negative associations usually related to images of trash or pollution. Written narratives often revealed a connection between images of pollution and a desire to take action. The students also tended to relate pollution to the themes of “people” and “community.”
The authors conclude that that the self-guided nature of the Photovoice method facilitated students' ability to express their perspectives of what is significant in their watersheds. The authors caution that the results of this study are specific to the local environment in which it took place. But their approach could be replicated in other places to provide insight into the effectiveness of the Photovoice method in different contexts. The authors also recommend that future research should investigate whether the process is equally effective with students of different ages.
The authors conclude that the Photovoice method is an excellent approach for drawing out youth perspectives of their local watershed. They suggest that these perspectives could be shared with the broader community and be incorporated into watershed management plans. The authors also recommend that the Photovoice method could be used to guide place-based EE programs and to create curriculum that is relevant to students' interests and concerns.
The Bottom Line
Previous research in stormwater management shows the value of incorporating community perspectives on local watershed issues. But while many studies have focused on understanding adults' perspectives, little is known about how youth view areas of priority and concern in their local environment. This study suggests that the Photovoice method is a useful approach for understanding high school students' perspectives on their local watershed. The authors conclude that the self-guided process of allowing youth to take their own photos and choose which ones to write about made it easy for students to identify areas of interest and concern in their local watershed. The authors recommend that the results of the Photovoice process could be used to incorporate youth perspectives into watershed management plans, or to create place-based EE programs that incorporate student perspectives.