Date of Award
Spring 5-19-2025
Document Type
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
Department
-- College of Arts and Sciences --
Advisor
Dr. Cecilia Valenzuela
Advisor
Dr. Zulema Reynoso
Abstract
This qualitative, arts-based study examines how undergraduate students engage with visual journaling to construct and articulate knowledge in a social science course centering issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Drawing on Freirian critical pedagogy and critical visual reflection, this research centers students’ voices and creative processes. Through one-time, audio-recorded interviews, participants share insights about their journaling experiences, reflect on memorable pages, and articulate both the significance and intended future use of their visual journals. The collaboration between researchers and student participants involves shared reflective practices, flattening hierarchies, and emphasizing embodied expression, including nonverbal and vocal cues. This approach builds on existing scholarship around visual literacy and multimodal learning, while filling a gap in the literature by directly emphasizing students’ perspectives as creators and meaning-makers. In capturing these reflective and dialogic processes, this research aims to challenge dominant systems of knowledge creation and broaden pedagogical strategies that elevate student agency.
Digital USD Citation
Barney-Gibbs, Madeleine A., "Engaging Undergraduate Students in Critical Visual Reflections Using Their Visual Journals" (2025). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 139.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/honors_theses/139
Copyright
Copyright held by the author
