Photovoice and dramatisation in the classroom with nursing students: An exploratory study to raise awareness of the cultural and social dimensions of violence against women

Abstract

Background: Active teaching methodologies that incorporate students' feelings and beliefs and encourage them to reflect upon and critically think about certain variables, are extremely useful to teachers. Objective: To explore the potential of dramatisation and photovoice technologies as instruments to stimulate nursing students to reflect upon violence against women in society, thereby encouraging critical thinking and debate in a participatory way. Design: This was a qualitative, descriptive-exploratory study which used the participatory action research approach. Participants: Forty fourth-year students enrolled in the Nursing undergraduate degree at the University of Alicante in Spain. Methods: The photovoice technique was used to record images from a dramatisation which served as the basis to represent scenes from the everyday life of people who are subjected to physical and psychological violence. These photographs were then debated and analysed by the students. We used MAXQDA® software and the guidelines published by Giorgi to aid our data analysis. Results: Four main categories emerged; the ‘violence against women’. The ‘victim’ and ‘abuser’ categories considered ‘emotions’, ‘feelings’, ‘attitudes’, and ‘behaviours’. The fourth category that emerged was ‘social viewpoints’. Conclusions: Photovoice-dramatisation raised awareness among the students and allowed them to reflect upon these behaviours and to critically think about the cultural and social dimensions of violence against women. The use of both of these techniques in practical and theoretical contexts to train students can help to nurture social commitment when faced with this problem.