Photo elicitation: Commonalities and uniqueness in cross cultural descriptions of a multicultural mental health service
File version
Author(s)
Sunderland, Naomi
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
This article supports the use of photo elicitation and analysis in multicultural service evaluation research. During a recent qualitative evaluation of a multicultural mental health respite service in Queensland Australia, a research facilitator used a collection of 130 black and white photos to initiate four focus group discussions each consisting of 5-8 participants. The facilitator asked participants to select a photo from the series that best described their service experience and to share the photo and their explanation with the larger group. Our analysis of the images selected by the four focus groups - each representing different cultural backgrounds (Afghan, Sudanese, Tongan and multicultural) - revealed that several images were selected across the different groups. We also found that other images selected closely resembled one another in thematic and relational content. This was not an expected outcome; as each of the focus groups represented a different type of service intervention, delivered by a different organisation with representation from different diverse populations. These outcomes raise a number of methodological issues that warrant further discussion and investigation. We use the current study as a worked example of how photo elicitation can generate connections not only between participants and facilitators but also how it transcends different cultures, languages, and experiences as a way to describe similar service contexts.
Journal Title
Multimodal Communication
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
1
Issue
2
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
DOI
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Mental health services
Multicultural, intercultural and cross-cultural studies