Pictures with Purpose: Rethinking Mentee Engagement through ‘Photovoice’
Sattin-Bajaj, C., Romo-González, L., & Dee Dee Hong, D. (2025). Building classroom relationships through photovoice. The Elementary School Journal. https://doi.org/10.1086/735473
Introduction
A persistent challenge in education is fostering a sense of belonging and authentic connection between students and teachers. Despite evidence that positive student–teacher relationships support academic success and well-being, classroom dynamics often remain hierarchical, structured, and impersonal.
In response to this, the researchers investigate whether “photovoice”, a participatory method where students use photography to express their lived experiences, can help reconfigure these dynamics and deepen relational ties between students and educators.
Methods
The researchers conducted a three-month photovoice project with a racially and socioeconomically diverse group of high school students in the northeastern United States. Thirty-two students participated as part of a community-based after-school program and were prompted to take photographs of spaces, people, and moments that shaped their everyday lives.
Qualitative data were collected through student interviews, photo captions, classroom discussions, educator reflections, and field notes from researchers. These data were thematically analyzed to identify patterns related to how students experienced the process and whether it contributed to stronger relationships with teachers.
Results
Three main themes emerged. First, photovoice fostered a deeper sense of relational visibility, as students felt more seen and understood by adults after sharing personal photographs and narratives. Second, the process catalyzed vulnerability and empathy, creating opportunities for both students and educators to disclose aspects of their identities and forge mutual respect. Third, the exhibitions challenged static views of students’ capabilities, identities, and lives outside school, inviting a more holistic understanding of who students are.
Students described feeling “heard in a new way” and appreciated the chance to bring their full selves into the learning environment. Several noted that the project gave them confidence to speak up in class and to engage in more meaningful conversations with teachers. Educators also reported a shift in how they perceived and interacted with students. For some, seeing the photos helped humanize students whose behaviors they had previously misunderstood or pathologized. For others, the project underscored how little they had known about their students’ lives, and how much that mattered.
Discussion
By creating a space where students could express themselves visually and narratively, the intervention shifted the emotional climate of classrooms from compliance-driven to connection-oriented. The authors argue that such approaches are not just add-ons but essential to rethinking what equitable and engaging education can look like. Importantly, they caution that photovoice is not a quick fix—it requires time, trust, and a willingness among educators to engage in uncomfortable reflection. But when implemented thoughtfully, it can disrupt the often-silenced assumptions that shape teacher-student relationships and build more humane and responsive educational environments.
Implications for Mentoring Programs
This study offers a model of how mentors can use creative, participant-led approaches to deepen relationships and affirm mentees’ identities. Rather than relying solely on verbal check-ins or structured activities, mentors can invite youth to share their worlds through visual storytelling. Photovoice may serve as a tool to build mutual understanding between mentors and mentees, especially across lines of cultural or experiential difference. Incorporating photovoice into mentoring practice can offer a powerful way to foster these conditions.
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