Reflecting Upon Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time Provision: A Deweyan Approach

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eight
  In Roundtable Session: Centering Youth Voices in Educational Research (Table 3)

Abstract

Although Out-of-School Time (OST) provision is widely seen as providing professionally-supervised activities that support outcomes, youth participation is typically low. In response, we argue that Dewey’s philosophy of experience might provide a frame by which OST leaders can better understand young people’s interconnecting and unfolding lived experiences, or fullness of life. To illustrate this, we present the case of Anya, drawing upon data collected during a two-year empirical study. Anya’s story demonstrates (i) how particular transactions in different contexts – in and out of school - have in interconnected ways shaped her unfolding life, and (ii) the utility of the fullness of life approach to generating insights into young people’s lives, in ways that might maximise youth participation in OST provision.

Authors

• Claire Forbes, University of Manchester
  Presenting Author

• Carlo Raffo, University of Manchester
  Presenting Author