Youth Participatory Action Research and the Mental Health of Students and Teachers in a South Texas High School

• In Event: Constructing New Possibilities: Minoritized Youth Researchers and the Mental Health Crisis in K–12 Schools

Abstract

This youth participatory action research (YPAR) study examines the mental health experiences of students and staff at a Title 1 charter high school called CREATE Charter High School (pseudonym) located in a major metropolitan city in South Texas. A group of 12 high school students, primarily Black and Latinx youth, convened after school once a week for an hour in the spring semester with an assistant principal and university faculty member, making up a multi-generational YPAR group. Youth researchers identified mental health as an issue worthy of examination at their high school and co-constructed a separate student and teacher likert survey with several open-ended questions at the end. The research questions for this study were as follows: How does mental health affect students’ abilities to succeed in school? How does the mental health of teachers shape the lives of students? With a total population of 333 students, this survey received 257 respondents for a 77% response rate. For the teacher survey, there were a total of 33 teachers on staff and 27 completed the survey for an 81% response rate. Findings from the student survey revealed the following: (a) when asked, “Do you feel supported by your teachers here at CREATE,” combining the “yes” and “sometimes” responses, 94% of students affirmed this statement; and (b) when asked, “What factors make you feel like your mental health is NOT a priority,” 45% of students surveyed identified the administration. Findings from the teacher survey indicated the following: (a) more than 75% of respondents surveyed marked yes for this question: Have you ever experienced mental health issues as a teacher working at CREATE? Meanwhile, half of teachers in this survey expressed at the time of the survey enduring mental health issues; and (b) when asked, “What factors make you feel like your mental health is NOT a priority,” thirteen teachers noted the administrators, the charter management organization of CREATE, and “other” as primary factors; and (c ) the open-ended responses from teachers also highlighted a need for administrators to explicitly check on the mental health of teachers. Based on the survey results, student researchers developed a multi-prong action plan: (a) created Powerpoint presentations, so this information could be shared with administrators, teachers, students, and families; (b) proposed a Zen room in the school dedicated solely for any teacher or student–one at a time–to take a breather and have a calming space; (c) developed a student group that would fundraise on behalf teachers to purchase self-care items; (d) required administrators to check in on the mental health of teachers regularly at the start of each meeting; and (e) advocated for the hiring of an additional counselor to support the mental health needs of students. This research study highlights the possibilities when adults in schools pivot towards the voices of its racially marginalized students in seeking solutions regarding the mental crisis amongst high school-aged youth.

Authors

• Van T. Lac, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Ariel Reyes, IDEA Charter School

• Maranda Hernandez, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Carolina Montez-Decoa, University of Texas - San Antonio