The ‘anti-Instagram’

Using visual methods to study the college experiences of underrepresented students

Bibliographic Data

ID19003659
AuthorsKaren D Arnold (0000-0002-8354-0496), I Casellas Connors (0000-0003-0084-1531, Twitter (United States))
Year2021
Volume37
Issue4
Pages225-243
Publication date2021-03-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueVisual Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1472-586X • E-ISSN: 1472-5878
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1472586x.2021.1893612
OpenAlexW3136023856
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited30

Seventy-four students from underrepresented groups portrayed their first-semester college experience through privately-shared, captioned Instagram photos elicited by text message prompts. Longitudinal study analysis investigates the feasibility of this innovative visual data collection method, characterises the content of photos, and compares visual evidence to audio-diary data from the same students. The method succeeded in revealing detailed longitudinal accounts of students’ transition into college. Descriptive captions allowed participants to interpret their own images without the need for interviews, centring power with the student rather than the researcher. As compared with photo elicitation, collecting captioned images offers a more manageable, cost-effective way of collecting longitudinal data from relatively large, geographically dispersed samples. High response rates suggest that a familiar social media format like Instagram is a good fit for young adults and a promising approach for recruiting and retaining low-income, first-generation, and racially underrepresented minority students in research studies

Descriptive statistics · Longitudinal study · Mathematics education · Social media · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Higher Education Practises and Engagement · Higher Education Research Studies · Psychology · Radio, Podcasts, and Digital Media