Here are some frequently asked questions that you may find helpful. As new questions arise, this list will be added to.
What is Photovoice or Participatory Photography?
Photovoice is a visual research method used to explore the experiences of a specific community. The research participants use photographs to present their experiences to key stakeholders.
What device should I use?
Please use your own personal device (mobile phone or tablet). You can use any device, as long as it can take digital photographs. You will also need to be able to upload and share the photographs to a padlet website. You may prefer to use the university Wi-Fi to do this, so you don’t have to use your personal data.
Where do you upload photographs?
When you have returned your participant consent form, you will be given a link to an individual padlet site where you can upload your photographs and add any comments you feel are appropriate.
Please read the padlet terms and conditions to make sure you are happy to upload your photographs to the private padlet site. This video shows you how to upload photographs to a padlet site.
How do I upload my photographs?
This video shows you step-by-step how to upload your photographs to your padlet site.
How do you protect my personal data?
This study has been reviewed by an ethics committee to check that your personal data will be kept secure and used only in the way you have been told it will be. Your consent will be sought for processing your data in this way. The ethics committee has also checked that data collection is “in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes… proportionate to the aim pursued” as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2016, Article 9).
Under the GDPR all researchers must have a legal basis for processing any personal data about you. During the study you will be asked for information about your age, gender, programme, and country of origin. The University of Northampton confirms that processing of your personal data will be handled in a lawful manner as required by GDPR article 89(1) and the Data Protection Act 2018 sections 19(1)(b) and (c). We therefore confirm that the processing of your data in this project is in the public interest, has due regard for your rights and freedoms as a participant (‘data subject’) and will be stored and processed in a secure manner. The University of Northampton is the Data Controller for this project. If you have any concerns about the collection, use and storage of data in this project please contact the University of Northampton’s Data Protection Officer DPO@northampton.ac.uk
What should I take a photo of?
During the training workshop I’ll explain in more detail about the project and give you some ideas and prompts to help inspire your photographs. Your personal safety is a priority so please don’t take photographs of people, or trespass on private property. This video includes advice on taking photographs and what I’d like you to take photographs of.
Why should I take part?
Taking part in the project will give you experience of a visual research method. You can see how images can be used to explore and promote a point of view and share it with the wider community. As photovoice or participatory photography is a research method used in public health it can also increase your understanding of how the research is conducted.
The information obtained from this study will be used by the Academic Librarian to adapt and develop the support offered to the students on the MSc Public Health programme. The research will be publicised within the University so the programme team and University community can learn about the experience of international students.
What’s involved – how much time will it take?
Once you have agreed to take part in the study you will need to take part in a brief training workshop, where you will learn more about the project and how to take photographs that represent your experiences. You will then be asked to take and upload a selection of photographs representing your experiences of being an international student to a private project website where you can add captions and annotations to them. Then either in individual interviews or focus groups, you will select some photographs that best represent your experience coming to study at the University of Northampton. With your permission, these photographs and captions will be exhibited at the University to represent the experience of postgraduate students and allow university staff supporting you to understand your experience and develop better ways of supporting your studies. You will choose whether you would like your name to be used as the creator of the images, or if you would prefer a pseudonym to be used. You will retain copyright of the images you create, but you will be asked to license their use by the researcher for use in this project and related publications and dissemination.
The training workshop will be an hour, the focus group or interviews will also be an hour. So the research will involve two hour-long workshops and you will take the photographs in your own time. Probably a couple of hours to take the photographs and upload them to your individual padlet site. Your time and contribution to the project will be gratefully appreciated and help to showcase your experience as an international student.
How many photos do you need?
You can take as many photographs as you like and choose the best ones you want to share. Ideally between 10 and 20 photographs that represent your experience coming to the UK to study.
What is padlet?
Padlet is a website that allows us to share information visually, via a board. As a participant you will have your own private padlet site. Please read the padlet terms and conditions to make sure you are happy to upload your photographs to the private padlet site.
Once you have uploaded your photographs to the padlet, I’ll clear any identifying metadata from them and upload them to a shared padlet for us to discuss in the focus group for the third stage of the project. Depending on what preference you have put on your photographic consent form, your photographs will be labelled either with your name or pseudonym.
What is a training workshop?
A training workshop for this project will be an hour long. We will discuss photovoice (also known as participatory photography) and how it can be used to present and facilitate discussions around your experience coming to Northampton to study. We’ll discuss the ethical and safety aspects of taking photographs for the research project. We’ll look at the questions and prompts that you’ll use to take your photographs.
What is a focus group?
A focus group is used in research to gather qualitative data. Focus groups can involve between 8 and 10 participants, but numbers can vary. They are used to facilitate a discussion around a specific topic or theme. For this project, your photographs will be used to generate a discussion about your experience as an international student. Together the people in the focus group will decide what the main ideas and issues are that you would like to showcase. The photographs you choose will be used in the exhibition in the summer to highlight the messages you want to convey to the University community. The focus groups will be audio recorded and transcribed. Once they’ve been transcribed, the recordings will be deleted.
Who has reviewed the study?
This study has been reviewed and approved by the LLS Research Ethics Committee.