Images

Ellen Mays Ed.D., is a 2024 graduate of the Ed.D. program in Educational and Professional Practice at Antioch University.

Dissertation Committee:

  • Cristy Sugarman, Ed.D., Committee Chair

  • Richard Khan, Ph.D., Committee Member

  • Toni Kashani, Ph.D., Committee Member

Keywords

photovoice, parent empowerment, social justice photography, social justice, photography

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

As part of comprehensive whole-family out-of-school-time programming, parent engagement and education play an important role in addressing achievement and opportunity gaps in low-income neighborhoods. Parent groups have the potential to be a unique space of social justice work by creating supportive, innovative spaces to build social capital and organize around common action goals. This photovoice study looks specifically at “Parent University,” a parent out-of-school-time meeting group that focuses on empowerment education by providing opportunities for parents to meet, engage in rich consciousness raising dialogue, identify areas in need of change, and create and implement action for social change. This study will use photovoice, a participatory action research methodology, to examine the role of an urban after-school adult education program in developing and implementing a community-based needs assessment. The study will also examine the identification of community need, the process of identifying issues of concern, and the tools and action steps to create collective change. Freire’s critical consciousness theory, through his four stages of raising critical consciousness, was used to develop the conceptual theoretical framework through which the data was analyzed. Data was gathered through images and narratives produced by 20 caregiver participants using the photovoice SHOWeD method (Hergenrather et al., 2009). The findings constructed from the data generated themes of Resilience, Community Restoration, Abandonment, and Hope. Thematic analysis was used to explore and evaluate the collected data to identify themes and patterns. The photographs were then used as codes/tools to facilitate a discussion. They were then decoded through the discussion, during which the ideas and thoughts from the participants’ lived experiences were shared. The findings will inform educational specialists, policymakers, practitioners, and other relevant officials working with children, families, and community members, specifically in low-income neighborhoods, by highlighting potential policy and resource allocation weaknesses to improve outcomes. Implications of this study include using and empowering the voice of adult caregivers, through the power of community and discussion, to build social capital and self-efficacy. These are foundational characteristics that lead to community activism, whether that community is a school, neighborhood, or city. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Comments

ORCID No.: 0009-0004-6444-146X

Download

Share

COinS