There is an expression that a picture is worth a thousand words, and as a society, we rely heavily on visual aids to understand the context of different concepts and objects. In research, visual elements, such as pictures, are often used to supplement the findings section in a research report, but photography, or photo voice, is not commonly used as a research methodology in and of itself. From a nursing educator’s perspective, a visual research methodology can identify themes and concept, especially in an unfamiliar environment. As a pilot study to determine feasibility, photo voice was used while in China as a means of identifying themes present in Chinese society with the aim of the photo voice study to compare Chinese society with the US in terms of health care as part of a study abroad program. The results and lessons learned from this study will guide the assignment development for nursing students on future study abroad travel programs.
