School turnaround initiatives are top-down in nature and tend to relegate students and teachers to passive roles rather than empowering them as central change agents in school improvement. The purpose of this qualitative Action Research study was to investigate and deepen the use of student feedback to improve teaching and learning experiences and…

Our research looks into the impact of drama/theatre pedagogy practices and methodologies on teenage bullying in schools. Fifteen-year-old students from a countryside junior high school in Northern Greece participated in our mixed research model comprising a weighted questionnaire, participatory observation, reflective researcher logs and critical…

In K-12 computing education, there is a need to identify and teach concepts that are relevant to understanding machine learning technologies. Studies of teaching approaches often evaluate whether students have learned the concepts. However, scant research has examined whether such concepts support understanding digital artefacts from everyday life…

Whilst the fitness testing debate has become more nuanced over time, the voice that is often absent from discussions is that of students. Located within the 'big tent' of critical pedagogy, and using an expansive learning approach that is grounded in cultural historical activity theory, this paper responds to the following research questions: (i)…

Previous research related to Youth Adult Partnership, Empowerment and Empowering Environments, and Liberatory School Design all highlight the importance of relationships in ensuring that young people experience school environments as empowering. Currently, there is a lot of interest and energy around redesigning schools to be Learner-Centered, in…

Gender inequality is a global challenge and leadership development and empowerment have the potential to effect change. Outdoor education programs provide platforms to develop leadership and empower participants while also developing positive relationships with the outdoor environment, other people, and the self, while providing a range of…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore African American students and school administrators' experiences with out-of-school suspension (OSS) and their perceptions of strategies to reduce suspensions. Researchers have identified research-based strategies to reduce OSS, including restorative practices and Positive Behavior…

Background: Sexual violence (SV) is a serious public health concern, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth report higher rates than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. This qualitative study aimed to understand LGBTQ+ students' perspectives on how middle and high school environments can better prevent…

Digital technology has transformed classrooms, enabling new teaching methods. With widespread personal technology, students' devices can enhance learning but also cause distractions. This research amplifies secondary students' voices, exploring how they use technology and how it should be managed. The study addresses the question: What…

Many students are hesitant to provide class input while others are eager to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings about physical education. As a result, some attempts to provide students with a voice risk overlooking students who are already reluctant to express themselves. Systematic approaches to provide voice to all students may help promote…

Despite the popularity of student voice initiatives, there is ample evidence that they fail to challenge power relations at school or help marginalized students make their voices heard. This paper presents a student voice project based on the Photovoice method. The project was implemented with marginalized youth in an urban high school in Israel.…

Much has been written about the instructional insights illuminated by viewing texts as windows through which readers can view the experiences of those who are different from them in some way, mirrors through which they can see themselves reflected, and sliding glass doors through which they can step to experience a world different from their own.…

In the present study, I attempted to understand how students perceive their voice in the 2900 student public high school where I serve as principal. The study is a qualitative inquiry that combines human-centered design and action research for its conceptual framework. My dual roles of researcher and principal influenced every aspect of this…

This article focuses on how Black girls counter the antiBlackness that pervades the culture of STEM/making through their STEM-rich, community-engaged co-making practices. As youth engage each other, their communities, and the world, they make in ways that respond to a critical awareness of the world as it is, and with a desire to agentically…

Purpose: We explore youth participation in school decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic, an area that is still underexamined. We use Mitra's pyramid of student voice to explore how students of color shaped decision-making processes during the pandemic shutdown at Sandoval School, a public school in the western United States. We respond to…