Artefacts are objects that have a meaning to individuals associated with them and these may be pieces of objects of any kind such as old pictures, old documents or newspapers (Chang, 2008). To cite diversity of artefacts, Chang (2008, p. 107) maintains that these “may be text- based or non-textual [or a combination thereof] officially produced documents and personal, whether formal or informal texts written by you or about you or your cultural contexts.”
Official documents range from diplomas, official letters, certificates and employment contracts (Chang, 2008). Other textual artefacts may be letters or programmes previously used in certain occasions of significance to an individual associated with the artefact in question.
Cole (2011) maintains that artefacts have the capacity to trigger memories; and highlights that “object memory involves the use of a physical prompt within a qualitative interview setting as a means of digging more deeply into the subject.” (p. 227). In respect of this research, it was hoped that the participants’ chosen objects would trigger their memories of something significant that happened during their lived experiences as principals. Chang (2008) also argued that artefact inquiry allows access to one’s “past experiences and personal interpretations of these experiences” (p. 71). Chang further adds that “the past gives a context to the present, self and memory opens a door to the richness of the past” (p. 71) and in my study artefacts assisted participants to elicit memories that relate to their lived experiences in the context of school categorization. This is in line with Chang’s view that
“personal memory taps into the wealth of information on self” (Chang, 2008, p. 72).
To alleviate participants’ fears of bringing in objects and discussing them, I shared numerous artefacts of my own. I brought in photos and explained their significance to me. One of the photos I shared with the group, was the baby-walker that I explained in great length in Chapter One of this research. After sharing my personal artefacts with the participants, they
24
got excited and realized that they had numerous old objects that were either lying in their homes or schools, that were significant to them. The exercise of sharing my own artefacts with the participants is in line with the concept of reciprocity. I was certain to get a positive response as Dufwenberg and Kirchsteiger (2004, p. 268) argue that “people are motivated by reciprocity.”
After the group session of discussing the artefacts, I then requested each of them to select any three artefacts that are of personal significance. For each artefact, they were then further requested to briefly explain what it symbolised. This task is in line with the viewpoint held by Chang (2008, p. 80), that artefacts “have utility or ceremonial value, incorporated into the life of people.” This exercise excited the participants, as reflected in the journal below.
Just a day following our initial meeting, I met Naledi, one of my participants in a principal’s workshop. She was still thrilled and shared that…
Naledi: Hey Nonhlanhla, after our meeting yesterday, I was so thrilled to see a trunk I used to carry my luggage to a teacher’s college more than 30 years ago. When my daughter saw me laughing she wondered what the story was and I had to share my excitement with her.
Your study is indeed triggering memories.
(My journal entry - 17 April 2015)
In the next section I will discuss the use of photo-voice in research.
Photo-voice
Photo-voice is defined as the use “of photography as a means of accessing other people’s world and making those worlds accessible to others” (Booth & Booth, 2003, p. 431).
Therefore, this method involves “giving people cameras and using pictures they take to amplify their place in and experience of the world” (Booth & Booth, 2003, p. 432). Booth and Booth (2003, p. 432) further add that photo-voice “sets out to capture and convey the point of view of the person holding the camera, [thereby inviting us] to look at the world through the same lens as the photographer and to share the story the picture evokes for the person who clicked the shutter.” Booth and Booth (2003) further point out that this method
“helps to include people who lack verbal fluency [as well as] allows people the opportunity to
25
exercise choice as competent participants in the research process” (p. 432). I can attest to this on the basis of my observations as my participants were engaged in capturing pictures.
After describing the use of photo-voice, I issued a 27-exposure colour film disposable camera to each participant. This description was in line with the view advocated by Wang (1999) who stated that a researcher should not just hand cameras to participants without explaining the method in detail as this helps familiarise the participants “with underlying issues about the use of cameras … and ethics” (p. 186). I then advised participants that over the following four weeks, to please use the disposable camera to take pictures that captured important moments/spaces/events in their daily routine at school. This activity was in line with the view held by Wang (1999) that photo-voice enables participants “to express, reflect and communicate their everyday lives” (p. 186). Participants were further informed that in the following session, they would each be requested to select the best five pictures and to discuss their significance and / or meaning.
The participants were given clear guidelines with regard to ethical considerations that were to be observed when taking photos. These included cautioning them that photos taken should be staged, such that no faces of individuals are to be portrayed. They were advised to take pictures at a distance, of people’s back or without people. They were also requested to return the cameras for developing, once they were done with the exercise. Jeff, who is one of the participants, could not wait for the following session to hand the camera in for processing, so he had the photos developed himself. A point of interest, none of the participants had ever used a disposable camera before. The other three participants relied on their cell phones to capture the moments of interest during the course of the study. They then sent me the photos and during individual sessions, they explained why they took these particular photos and why was it significant to them. Although I accepted the use of cell phones for taking photos, I was quite disturbed and felt annoyed that I spent money on disposable cameras that were never used.
This process of discussing their photos played an important role in enriching the participants’
narratives. The photos served as an effective tool for this study as Wang and Burris (1997) declare that they have the power to tell a story. In support of this view, Chang (2008, p. 81) asserts that “one picture is worth a thousand words [implying that] a visual image can convey a message more efficiently and powerfully than a series of words.”
26
In the next section I deliberate on the selection of participants for this study.