‘Echo images’: An arts-based feedback tool for qualitative research interviews

Researcher reflexivity and checking researcher interpretations with participants, important processes that contribute to the rigour of qualitative research, are primarily engaged through verbal and text-based methods of reflection and communication. Introducing art into these processes can deepen their quality by accessing emotional information in non-verbal processing centres in the brain. This paper introduces ‘echo images’ – a tool for researchers seeking to engage in reflexivity, participatory knowledge construction, and dialogic relationships with interviewees. A case study examining the use of ‘echo images’ with Muslim women activists is shared. A framework is proposed for the use of ‘echo images’ in arts-based and qualitative research study designs. Offering participants a concrete, physical image of what a researcher has witnessed during their time together may be one way to honour interviewees’ sharing. Further research is necessary to confirm the contributions of ‘echo images’ as a routine practice in qualitative research that draws on the arts.