‘I Would Have Never Told You that’ – Using Rich Pictures as a Qualitative Tool to Uncover Tacit Perspectives on Leadership

Abstract

Interviews and focus groups are the mainstay of qualitative research, but may not capture fully the perspectives of participants when investigating complex social phenomena. Increasingly visual elicitation techniques, including Rich Pictures, are being utilised to further explore tacit perspectives. Two key questions around Rich Pictures were considered: ‘What are the affordances and constraints of using Rich Pictures to uncover tacit perspectives?’ and ‘Moving forward, how can we most effectively use Rich Pictures in future research?’ This case study answers these questions by reflecting on our experiences while conducting research into the complex social phenomena of leadership in health professions education. Through our reflections on using Rich Pictures, the research participants’ experience, and in-depth literature exploration of Rich Pictures, the affordances and constraints of this data collection tool are examined. Furthermore, the considerations needed when using Rich Pictures are expounded before providing a set of guiding recommendations for those considering using Rich Pictures in their qualitative research.