Empowering Student Voices: The Impact of Youth Participatory Action Research on Computer Science Enrollment in the Angel Grove School District

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Future of Learning: Exploring Technological Interventions and YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research) Initiatives for Inclusive Education (Table 1)

Abstract

This case study investigates the outcomes of a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project initiated in a large Southern California city across four school districts. This paper focuses on one of the four school districts to showcase the impact of YPAR on district outcomes from 2020-2022. The project has had a significant effect on enrollment in computer science classes. This study shows how student voices and district collaborations have the potential to foster systemic change. This research showcases how student-led research can be transformative and empower district and school leaders to push educational change from within.

Authors

• Kirk D. Rogers, San Bernardino Valley College

• Kristin Tenney, San Diego State U. & UC San Diego

• Jordan J. Harrison, University of California - San Diego

• Simone DiMatteo, University of California - San Diego

• Minhtuyen Mai, University of California - San Diego

• Susan S. Yonezawa, University of California - San Diego

• Art Lopez, University of California - San Diego

• Beth Simon, University of California - San Diego

• Annie Pham, University of California - San Diego