‘Amusing and fun’, ‘arresting’, or ‘the wrong pictures’? methodological lessons from using photo-elicitation in a study of academic retirement

This article reports on the use of photo-elicitation in a mixed methods study of academics’ later careers and retirement. Interviewees, who were either in their later career stage or retired from university work, were asked during the interviews to discuss the resonance that pre-selected images had with their understanding of retirement. Despite reluctance on some participants’ part to engage with the images, the majority took the opportunity to elaborate on themes of time, purpose, trajectories, hopes, and fears, rejecting images that they considered stereotypically negative. The argument is made that photo-elicitation’s pioneers have served subsequent users of the method well by being candid about its challenges as well as its potential and by encouraging creativity and flexibility in its application rather than presenting a set way to proceed. Because
research does not always go according to plan, photo-elicitation’s potential for creative and flexible use recommends it to both novice and established practitioners, possibly as a complement to other methods in mixed methods projects.