“A Lethal Weapon”: Youth Participatory Action Research and Her/History Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 39
  In Roundtable Session: Youth Participatory Action Research Reveals the Power of Liberatory Curriculum and Grassroots Pedagogy

Abstract

As a high school teacher, I explored the possibilities of using Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) as a “problem-posing” education to challenge the pressure on teachers in today’s secondary social studies classrooms to use state standards and standardized exams to drive instruction. While engaging in relevant, rigorous, and empowering curriculum, students became highly engaged in the learning process, gained research skills, and were empowered to value their experiences and see her/history as a “lethal weapon” to transform their communities. Bringing together the successes and challenges of using YPAR in the classroom, this inquiry presents the possibility for youth action research to serve as a liberating curriculum, while challenging educators to consider ways in which YPAR can work in today’s schools.

Author

• Juan Manuel Raygoza, University of California - Los Angeles