Connecting to Our Community: Utilizing Photovoice as a Pedagogical Tool to Connect College Students to Science

In this study, we investigated the ways in which university students connected
with science through the use of photovoice (Wang & Burris, 1994) as a pedagogical tool.
Results indicated that students came to appreciate their connections to the science that
operates in their lives as they reflected on and became empowered with regard to the
science content behind environmental issues of interest to them on campus. Photovoice
allowed students to authentically inquire about local science, as well as the potential to
generate change in their own community. This understanding is significant to science
educators because first, it empowers learners to connect with science and provides a way to
deepen that connection with science; and second, it provides a pedagogical tool for science
educators to use with their students to engage them in the science in their community.
Finally, it has the potential to improve science teaching by creating students that are more
connected to science and th3
e world around them.