Photo elicitation: Exploring tourist experiences with researcher-found images

Xavier MatteucciDepartment of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Modul University Vienna, Am Kahlenberg 1, 1190 Vienna, Austria

1. Introduction2. Photo elicitation techniques3. The research project4. Approach 4.1 Sourcing photographs 4.2 Selecting photographs 4.3 Preparing the interview schedule 4.4 Conducting the interview 4.5 Analyzing textual data5. Findings and discussion6. Conclusion

Highlights1. Photo elicitation, in its various forms, presents a

fun, creative, multi-sensory alternative to conventional research techniques.（形式多样的图片诱导技术，相对于传统的研究技术，展现了有趣、富有创意、多感觉的途径）

2. Researcher-found images in interviews proved to be a valuable tool to research tourist embodied experiences. （照片引谈法被证实是研究旅游者过去体验的有价值的方法）

3. Researcher found-images lack the narrative power that visual materials assembled by research participants may have.（研究参与者提供的视觉材料可能缺乏叙事力量）

Article Information• Article history: Received 4 February 2012 Accepted 13 July 2012• Keywords: Qualitative research Photo elicitation Researcher-found images Tourist experience Body and senses

1.Introduction• Even though visual methods are not

new to researchers in the disciplines of anthropology and sociology, and despite the importance of the visual in tourism, their utilization by tourism researchers still remains marginal

• Therefore, in order to inform researchers about such an endeavor, the current paper sets out to:

• first, illustrate how images have been used in a study where the tourist experience of intangible heritage is at the center

• second, discuss the various methodological issues that have arisen in the research process.

2.Photo elicitation techniques• Define photo elicitation as “the simple idea of

inserting a photograph into a research interview”. • A review of literatures indicates that four main

versions of photo elicitation have frequently been used in social research.

① produced by the researcher,② gathered by the researcher,③ produced by the research participant, ④ gathered by the research participant.

3.The research project• Every year, thousands of people travel to

the Southern regions of Spain to actively participate in flamenco music and dance courses.

• The consumption patterns of these visitors indicate that they tend to seek deeper cultural experiences and come to Andalusia outside the seasonal peaks

• The study is primarily concerned with how tourists experience intangible heritage, in the form of flamenco music and dance courses, and attempts to discern the role that the body and senses play in that experience.

(1) Data were collected with 11 French native speakers and 9 English speakers in two phases in the Andalusian city of Seville, Spain.

(2)To come to an understanding of what is meaningful to the research participants,

a dialog is made between the researcher and the research participants.

(3) Photo elicitation complemented semi-structured in-depth interviews and participant observation.

4.approach

• The reasons why used found images:• First, using found-images is convenient

due to the large number of images available on the Internet.

• Second, it is less expensive since the researchers can reduce the time spending in the field.

• Visual stimuli encourages respondents to reveal their feelings and experiences without them being aware of doing so, as an invitation to interpret the behavior and the experiences of other people rather than being asked directly to report personal experiences.

Five steps to protocol a photo-interviewing• 4.1 Sourcing photographs Images were copied from Google image

search, Flickr.com and Flamenco-world.com and sites of flamenco Schools then pasted into a Microsoft Word document.

Images suggesting positive and neutral and

negative aspects of flamenco experiences were considered.

• 4.2 Selecting photographs The 18 depicting-various-flamenco situations’

images were sought based on the author’s own concepts of flamenco experiences, which may have forced respondents into the author’s own idea of flamenco. （提出缺点）

The “real, flesh and blood life” rich

information the images carry still allow multiple perspectives and interpretations.

Flamenco Course5 photosConcerts and shows3 photosFlamenco bodies6 photosGypsy1 photoKitsch1 photoCulture1 photoCommunitas1 photo

• 4.3 Preparing the interview schedule

• Questions were developed to examine how informants experienced flamenco in its different aspects, and how informants manifested the notion of self in relation to their flamenco embodied experiences

.The most frequent questions asked were:• Please have a look at these pictures and tell

me which one or which ones of these pictures best represent your flamenco experience here in Seville so far? And why?

• Do you relate to the girls’ facial or body expression? And how?

• What do you think these people might be feeling in that particular moment?

• Is the feeling that you have just described something that you have experienced yourself?

• 4.4 Conducting the interview• The interview time: 40 min to 90 min,

including the photo elicitation part• The conducted place: public places,

predominantly on bar terraces

• Informants were first asked to select images that best described their on-site experience and were further asked to explain their choices. Follow-up questions and prompts were initiated in order to get clarification and deeper insights.

• 4.5 Analyzing textual data• The textual data drawn from the use of

image were analyzed in the same way as the text produced from the interviews.

• Through the constant comparison of data, some core categories have emerged, which have then been refined and which have enabled the development of theoretical concepts.

5. Findings and discussion• The benefit of introducing images• First, favorably extend a conversation by

stimulating dialog between the interviewee and the interviewer, or to unlock conversations that may have gone in circles after some time.

• Second, images helped trigger personal experiences and memories

Street Sign • Maya：• This [image] means a lot to

me in my experience here e for different reasons. For me, the rage that one must express in dancing e that’s. that’s a cry which is expressed through the movements. The cry e I could be talking about it for ages. It would take too long to talk about it….

Flamenco Handwork• Amanda( 26-year-old British

Tourist):• because you know, I’ve long

arms. I’ve noticed that this [part] to this [part] on me is longer than on most people proportionally. And I’ve got really long fingers so I don’t have delicate little hands. See, if I can make my hands look delicate, then that would be quite nice. See, so they naturally kind of look more delicate and then...

A female flamenco dancer performing in a bar

• Aaron’s view: I think I chose that one [image] because that’s the type of flamenco I don’t want to do

• Catherine recalls an enjoyable personal experience in which the show itself, the performers, the participatory audience and the overall atmosphere were perceived to be authentic.

Girls dancing in front of a mirror with their arms up

• Amanda revealed the self-reflective power of images

6.Conclusion• In this study, the use of researcher-gathered

images in interviews proved to be a valuable tool to research tourist experiences. Carefully selected images present concrete details of the informants’ activities and the context in which these activities occur.

• Images also offered practical advantages by limiting the time, financial and ethical issues concerned with the collection and production of visual data.

• Researcher-found images may introduce some positive bias into how informants recollect and present their experiences, and they may lack the narrative power that visual materials assembled by research participants may have.

• Besides, by combining first a regular interview with a photo interview, the benefits and weaknesses of the use of researcher-found images in interviewing are more clearly differentiated.

• Finally, researcher found-images, when triangulated with other methods, do provide a valuable check on the overall congruence of the research findings and can further our understanding of what experiences mean to people.

My opinion • Advantages: Clear explaining photo elicitation; Comprehensive considering the merits and

demerits of adopting photo elicitation in exploring tourist experience

• Disadvantages: A little ambiguously interpreting the demerits in

photo elicitation can be neglectful. In Findings and discussions part, the article

structure is a little cumbrous which may make reader confused the key point in this part

Thank you!

• Shen Shan• Student Number:201000272175