DEMOCRATIZING SCHOOLS FOR IMPROVEMENT THROUGH YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of participating in youth participatory action research (YPAR) for students, teachers, and schools. The primary data are drawn from focus groups and interviews with a total of 150 individuals involved in the YPAR program. Our findings suggest that YPAR democratizes schools and schooling experiences. Specifically, we find that participation in YPAR fosters a collaborative relationship between students and teachers that helps students see themselves more powerfully as knowledge creators, provides students with opportunities that promote their sense of agency and efficacy, influences teachers’ practices and pedagogy to be more student-centered, and changes the nature of conversations happening at schools. Taken together, these findings suggest that YPAR can be a powerful way to democratize schools for improvement.