What Photovoice reveals about the school experiences of adolescents with learning difficulties in Jordanian inclusive schools: a qualitative study

Inclusive education requires attention not only to academic access, but also to students’ belonging, participation, support, and social interaction. This qualitative study employed Photovoice to examine what students’ photographs and interview narratives revealed about the school experiences of adolescents with learning difficulties in two Jordanian inclusive schools. The primary analytic sample comprised 40 students, with three pilot cases excluded from the main analysis. Each student discussed one favorite and one non-favorite photograph during individual Photovoice interviews. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with thematic interpretation, supplemented by a descriptive deductive challenge-coding layer. Favorite photographs reflected comfort, identity, attachment, teacher recognition, family connection, aspiration, and emotional safety. Non-favorite photographs were associated with peer difficulties, embarrassment, exclusion, silence, avoidance, academic discomfort, school-family pressure, resource-room visibility, and challenges in expressing needs. The study suggests that Photovoice may support qualitative student-voice research by helping students communicate meanings attached to school objects, spaces, relationships, and emotionally significant experiences.