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

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.

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

Educational Administration Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0013161x18761344 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 366-395 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

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.

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YPAR Dreams Deferred? Examining Power Bases for YPAR to Impact Policy and Practice

Educational Policy ◽

10.1177/08959048211019975 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089590482110199

Author(s):

Melanie Bertrand ◽

Brian D. Lozenski

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Action Research ◽

Participatory Action Research ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Youth Participatory Action Research ◽

Power Bases ◽

Participatory Action ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

New Policies

Practitioners and scholars have argued that youth participatory action research (YPAR) challenges systemic injustice in education, as youth and adults research mechanisms of oppression and propose recommendations. However, oftentimes YPAR does not lead to new policies, as institutional decision-makers ignore youth’s moral pleas and empirical evidence. In this conceptual article, we propose a consideration of the ways in which YPAR can mobilize power bases using youth organizing and institutionally sanctioned decision-making. We argue that being attuned to power bases provides YPAR groups a more reliable means, in comparison to moral pleas, to move from YPAR findings to shifts in policy and practice.

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