Abstract:
This paper examines inner-city adolescents' perceptions of community and other geographic concepts, such as maps and place. This study was conducted in North Philadelphia. The sample of participants was recruited from the Building Information Technology Skills program. High-school age participants drew sketch maps of their communities, and used self-directed photography to photograph their communities. Researchers examined the similarities and differences between what each participant drew and what he or she photographed. Participants were then interviewed individually using the technique of photo-elicitation to find out about how they perceive their communities; during the interviews, participants were asked to expound upon each of their photographs, as well as their sketch maps. Participants were also asked questions that were unrelated to their photographs or sketch maps to investigate their perceptions of other geographic concepts.
Many similarities and differences between what participants drew on their sketch maps of their communities and what participants photographed in their photos of their communities were observed. For example, most participants both drew and photographed their homes, as well as the area immediately around their homes. Participants used differing levels of sophistication in their drawings of their communities; some participants drew pictures of their homes on their block, while others drew maps of a larger area. While participants' drawings tended to focus on the area immediately around their homes, their photographs had a broader geographic range showing where the participants spend their time.
