This case study explores the teaching experiences of two university faculty members who guided their students through the development of digital media artifacts distributed online for an authentic audience. A sociology instructor guided her students in the creation of artifacts documenting issues of racial inequality on campus. Students presented…

In this paper, six adult allies (comprised of four academic scholars, one in-service teacher, and one community-based teaching artist) reflect on what it meant for them to learn from the wisdom of eight years of intergenerational inquiry led by youth. The authors examine how youth researcher-activists make meaning of their realities within this…

Grounded in the traditions of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and Hip-Hop culture, Cyphers for Justice (CFJ) youth work alongside college students (undergraduate and graduate), professors, and community-based teaching artists to conduct research and present their findings on relevant social issues. As a critical approach that privileges…

In this article, we present participatory action research (PAR) as a radical act of humanity: a direct response to real dehumanization of vulnerable communities. We argue, as an enactment of critical social theories, that PAR privileges relationships and shared knowledge creations as strategies for transforming everyday worlds. We draw on…

With the proliferation of participatory approaches to promoting youth development such as Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR), it is more important than ever that researchers and practitioners understand how to create curriculum that will authentically engage youth of color. To that end, there are important lessons public health…

In career and technical education (CTE), the vocational-academic divide continues to influence practices and policies that shape students' experiences. Drawing on a qualitative study and retrospective analysis, we argue that hands-on learning "with" critical praxis is important for engaging students in CTE. A theory of change, focused on…

Studies exploring engineering students' experiences with cooperative education (co-op) typically utilize traditional quantitative and qualitative methods to focus on overall outcomes as opposed to individual voices. As a result of this, women's experiences in a co-op environment are rarely captured. Historically, women are underrepresented in…

Autistic adults are significantly more likely to experience co-occurring mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Although intervention studies are beginning to be implemented with autistic adults to address mental health outcomes, little is known about what research autistic adults feel is needed, or what mental health outcomes…

Action learning within community-based research is a powerful capacitator of social action. Here, we consider three aspects of action learning that are vital to enable this: (i) developing self-directed and lifelong action learning; (ii) generating local and theoretical knowledge through action research and reflection on learning; and (iii)…

Performances of research are moments of encounter -- between audience and performer, between audience and researcher, and in the instance of youth-centered critical participatory action research, between adults and young people. This piece considers the form and metaphor of artistic performances of research to interrogate the social constructions…

Participatory action research (PAR) with youth holds potential to spur social justice-oriented change due to its explicit orientation to transform systemic inequity. Whereas youth in PAR projects embody agency in their actions, they hold less institutional power than adults in positions of authority. In addition, youth who have been marginalized…

Youth participatory action research is a pedagogy in which students work together to explore an issue that affects them. The school counselor measured the impact on Latina students who participated in the project based on participants' self-efficacy in attending college and being successful in math and science. Results indicated that students were…

Although education continues to be a pathway for social mobility, disparities remain in post-secondary attainment for traditionally marginalized populations such as the half-million youth in foster care (Children's Bureau, 2016). Due to multiple personal, social, and system barriers, only 46% of foster youth will earn a high school or GED diploma,…

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and rise in racial injustices signaled the need to engage students in macro-level interventions to maximize their contributions to their schools, communities, and society. School social workers are uniquely positioned to elevate student voices, hone their critical thinking skills, and capitalize on their strengths…

Purpose: Aided with critical-race theory (Ladson-Billings, 1998), culturally responsive pedagogy tenets (Gay, 2002), and culturally sustaining pedagogy philosophy (Paris, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to make a two-pronged argument that: the killing of blacks has taken many forms, physical, moral, intellectual, cultural, and financial; and…