Youth Participatory Action Research and Possibilities for Students of Color in Educational Leadership

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Bertrand
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
After School ◽  
Youth Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Research School ◽  
Community Issues

Background and Purpose: Students of Color hold intimate knowledge about institutional racism and White supremacy in schools—expertise that could be leveraged in school leadership. One approach that could mediate efforts to include Students of Color in leadership is youth participatory action research (YPAR), in which students and adult partners research school and community issues and take action. Guided by cultural historical activity theory, this article explores how YPAR may be a path to realizing the vision of including Students of Color in school decision making by sharing findings from a study of an after-school YPAR program for seventh and eighth graders. Research Methods/Approach: A range of data was collected, including videos of YPAR meetings and presentations and interviews with YPAR youth and school adults. Ethnographic and inductive approaches were used to analyze the data. Findings: Analysis of the data indicated that students within the YPAR program (re)positioned themselves as leaders through their production and presentation of intersectional, social justice research. School adults, however, positioned the students in contradictory ways. They verbalized support for student input without also positioning students as leaders while, in some cases, dismissing the students’ research and viewpoints. Implications: This article adds to the educational leadership field by indicating that YPAR and similar programs can act as mediators to increase the potential for Students of Color to expand their leadership at schools by shining light on existing leadership and opening up possibilities for students to further reposition themselves as leaders.

Collaborative inquiry: Youth, social action, and critical qualitative research

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limarys Caraballo ◽  
Jamila Lyiscott
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Collaborative Inquiry ◽  
After School ◽  
Youth Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Critical Qualitative Research ◽  
Research In Education

Youth participatory action research is part of a revolutionary effort in educational research to take inquiry-based knowledge production out of the sole purview of academic institutions and include those who most directly experience the educational contexts that scholars endeavor to understand. Seeking to extend the robust legacy of participatory action research in schools and communities, in this article, we focus on the pedagogical contributions of youth participatory action research collaborations for the teaching of critical qualitative research. We discuss strategies developed and implemented in an after-school youth participatory action research seminar in order to highlight how collaborative educational spaces can contribute to teaching and engaging in critical qualitative research. We also reflect, in our role as educators and researchers, on the possibilities and limitations of teaching qualitative research critically and reflexively, particularly at the intersection of qualitative action research, critical literacies, and youth social action. We conclude with a discussion of the broader implications of collaborative inquiry for the teaching of qualitative research in education and beyond.

Youth Participatory Action Research (Youth PAR) in Public Schools: Opportunities and Challenges in an Inner-City High School

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Schensul ◽  
Lisa LoBianco ◽  
Christina Lombardo
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
After School ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Youth Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Formal Curriculum ◽  
Inner City High School

The public school system, the central institution for the formal education of youth in nations throughout the world, provides great potential for the implementation of the principles and methods of Youth Participatory Action Research (Youth PAR). Governmental school systems utilize formal curricula which are reviewed and revised regularly, a professionally trained teaching staff to implement curricula a majority of youth who attend school at least until the legally required age, an annual budget, parental involvement, societal standards and evaluation protocols, and an administrative infrastructure. In contrast to non-standardized, decentralized after-school and other specialized programs, public schools offer innovative programs such as Youth PAR the opportunity to "go-to-scale" to institutionalize the program, to involve teachers in implementation, to build and establish formal curriculum, and to engage large numbers of students on a required, rather than voluntary, basis.

“I Was Very Impressed”: Responses of Surprise to Students of Color Engaged in Youth Participatory Action Research

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 1370-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Bertrand
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Youth Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Transformative Potential

This article explores decision makers’ responses of surprise or amazement to Students of Color engaged in youth participatory action research (YPAR). To address this topic, I draw upon data collected from a yearlong qualitative study of a YPAR group, applying the theoretical aspects of critical discourse analysis. The findings indicate that the decision makers in the sample expressed surprise at three aspects of YPAR: the students’ (a) capacity as researchers, (b) professionalism, and (c) motivation. These responses—termed “the discourse of surprise”—may have constrained the transformative potential of the students’ research.

Combining Youth Organizing and Youth Participatory Action Research to Strengthen Student Voice in Education Reform

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (13) ◽  
pp. 153-170
Author(s):  
Tom Dolan ◽  
Brian D. Christens ◽  
Cynthia Lin
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Relationship Development ◽  
Youth Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
San Bernardino ◽  
Community Issues ◽  
Research Action

Community organizing processes seek to address community issues of mutual concern through cycles of relationship development, research, action, and evaluation led by people directly affected by the issues at stake. This chapter examines a community organizing effort in San Bernardino, California, that has built power to address issues in schools and the broader community. This organizing effort, which has involved leadership by hundreds of youth, has achieved numerous changes in programs and policies that have increased educational, recreational, and employment opportunities for young people. In this chapter, we examine the youth organizers’ deepening use of (a) organizing research and (b) youth participatory action research (YPAR). We compare these two types of research in a community organizing context and highlight the ways that each type of research has contributed to successes in collective action.

scholarly journals A Participatory Action Research Method in a Rural Community of Mexico

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubi Arellano ◽  
Fabricio Balcazar ◽  
Sergio Suarez ◽  
Francisco Alvarado
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Community Interventions ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Need To Evaluate ◽  
Community Issues ◽  
To Come

For several decades, community interventions have promoted community development with strategies involving capacity building, advocacy, social change, and empowerment. Although community interventions intend to ameliorate social and economic inequalities, there is still a need to evaluate the outcomes of Participatory Action Research (PAR). PAR approaches have demonstrated to be a helpful tool for addressing and identifying community issues and strengths, while leading community members into action. The PAR approach described in this case study of “Ciudad Renace” (Town Reborn)—the Concerns Report Method (CRM)—provided a process for the community to come together and identify main issues, organize, and take actions. The findings suggest multiple activities and outcomes in areas like environmental contamination, social services, and education. Participatory methodologies like the Concerns report Method provided opportunities for community members to become engaged in pursing issues and addressing their own needs. The implications for community psychology research and practice are discussed.

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