Digital Voices of Rural Teachers:
Participatory Analysis, ‘Being a Teacher in the Age of AIDS’ and Social Action Through Cellphilms
2011-2014
SSHRC
PI: Claudia Mitchell, with Eun Park, Relebohile Moletsane (UKZN), and Naydene De Lange (NMMU).
Centre for Visual Methodologies
This study asks the question, what difference can the participation of rural teachers make to deepening an understanding of youth sexuality and HIV&AIDS, and how can these meanings be translated into more nuanced understanding and treatments of critical cultural issues in community based programs and policy.
In developing a framework for engaging teachers in working with transcript data, the study will explore the ways in which digital technology, such as mobile phones to make films, or Cellphilms, can be simultaneously a tool for deepening an understanding of the issues (meaning‑making), and an entry point to building the capacity of rural teachers in working with new media as a tool for social action by
1) Studying how teachers engage with technology, such as mobile phones, to make Cellphilms.
2) Provide evidence showing how teachers analyze and interpret their own data
3) Identify ethical issues regarding studying sensitive, cultural, community issues.
4)Consider how participatory analysis can inform local and regional policy.
Participants: Rural teachers in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape