Reflexive Photography An Alternative Method for Documenting the Learning Process of Cultural Competence

Authors: Roxanne Amerson and Wade G. Livingston

Abstract

Purpose: This qualitative descriptive study used reflexive photography to evaluate the learning process of cultural competence during an international service-learning project in Guatemala. Reflexive photography is an innovative qualitative research technique that examines participants’ interactions with their environment through their personal reflections on images that they captured during their experience. Design: A purposive sample of 10 baccalaureate nursing students traveled to Guatemala, where they conducted family and community assessments, engaged in home visits, and provided health education. Data collection involved over 100 photographs and a personal interview with each student. Findings: The themes developed from the photographs and interviews provided insight into the activities of an international experience that influence the cognitive, practical, and affective learning of cultural competence. Conclusions: Making home visits and teaching others from a different culture increased students’ transcultural self-efficacy. Implications: Reflexive photography is a more robust method of self-reflection, especially for visual learners.

Published online before print February 6, 2014, doi: 10.1177/1043659613515719

Full paper available at http://tcn.sagepub.com/content/25/2/202.full