How Do We ‘See’ Occupations? An Examination of Visual Research Methodologies in the Study of Human Occupation

Abstract

This article argues that visual research methodologies have potential to contribute to the study of occupation. The use of visual research methodologies is quickly growing in a number of disciplines and can help researchers to access information and reasoning not accessible through interview, log or survey. The reflexive, reflective, engaged process of creating and analysing visual materials allows for rich representations on behalf of participants, and immersion in the data on the part of researchers. This paper explores photovoice, body mapping and textual analysis of visual materials to understand how they can contribute to occupational science research. These methods were chosen because they represent the current methods being used by researchers in visually-based research literature. It is argued that when used appropriately, the addition of visual research methodologies to occupational science research will help researchers access rich and authentic information, and that visuals can represent many layers of meaning that may otherwise be lost in a conversation, log, or piece of historical literature.