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.

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 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.

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