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Nursing Times Research
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Talking pictures: Investigating personal knowledge through illuminative art-work

jenny Spouse, PhD, MSc, RGN, RM, DipN, CertEd, CertTeaching in HE

School of Health & Social Welfare, Open University, Milton Keynes

This paper discusses how participants' art-work was used in a naturalistic, phenomenological and longitudinal, study. It investigated nursing students developing their professional knowledge while working in clinical settings. Eight students participated in the study and at the end of each clinical placement they created a picture of what it felt like to be a nurse. In a follow-up interview, students described and discussed the symbolism they had portrayed in their picture. Using pictures in this manner gave participants an opportunity to tap into their pre-conscious knowledge and to give words to experiences that might otherwise have remained dormant. At the end of their course, the material was assembled and analysed using a constant comparative method. Several themes were elicited from the data that related to students' socialisation into the nursing profession. This understanding was complemented by visual representations students had created, and these provided a more meaningful understanding of their professional development. In discussing the process of creating illuminative art-work, two examples and their accompanying narratives are provided to illustrate the relevance of this supplementary approach to data collection; they provide a powerful tool for researchers concerned with everyday human experiences.

Key Words: Illuminative art • Personal knowledge • Tacit knowledge

Nursing Times Research, Vol. 5, No. 4, 253-261 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/136140960000500404
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