Broadening Research Methods and Deepening Analysis in Youth Participatory Action Research

• In Event: Supporting Youth Activism in Hostile Times: Case Studies in Deepening YPAR Practices

Abstract

The “r” in YPAR, research, is a vital but often under-supported aspect of the process. High quality research ensures that critiques and demands are anchored in an accurate understanding of people’s lived experience and can add credibility with policy audiences. Research provides receipts (proof or factual support) for youth-led arguments. Teaching youth how to engage in research, however, is difficult. Educators often express reluctance, confusion, and even fear about teaching research methods and data analysis ([Author] et al., 2023). We see the teaching of research methods as a bumpy spot along the youth activism path.

Perspective/Methods
We are in the midst of a funded research study examining the following research questions:
How does research training support the development of teacher and student capacity to lead and engage in YPAR projects?
How does training around quantitative and qualitative analysis deepen teachers’ and students’ abilities to isolate meaningful patterns and trends in data they’ve collected?
To answer those questions, we are engaging in an iterative, design-based research study (Hoadley & Campos, 2022) of two classrooms while also leveraging the expertise of eight other veteran educators. The process has included three iterative meetings with educators to design and strengthen resources for teaching research methods. Two teachers who took the final training then attempted to teach research methods in their classroom, allowing us to observe the classroom and follow up with interviews. This poster isolates a “problem of practice” (Penuel et al., 2013) regarding YPAR and provides insight on how to best support teachers in deepening their capacity to teach research methods. During seven years of research with a local school district in Colorado, student teams work on urgent equity challenges at their schools but struggle with the research phase. Teachers and students seek opportunities to build their research skills, including in decolonizing methodologies. The purpose of this session is to share ideas around capacity and research infrastructure for students and teachers that strengthen the quality of student YPAR projects, with particular support on teaching five methods of research in YPAR ([Author] et al., 2025).

Results
Emerging findings indicate that teachers are reluctant to engage with YPAR pedagogies and curricula because it feels intimidating and unsupported by schools. Still, they see value in such approaches and desire deeper training, particularly in areas beyond survey and interview methods--such as arts based approaches. Teachers prefer in-person training but are open to supplementary online materials.

Significance
Youth activists benefit from skilled and efficacious adult allies ([Author], 2024). The educators that are part of our study expressed reluctance to implement progressive pedagogies, especially in this political moment, but understand the potential of YPAR and are willing to engage with it as long as they feel supported. Specifically, that means equipping educators with skills to teach YPAR methods and analysis. When teachers feel confident in teaching research, they can equip youth with tools to produce impactful results that lead to compelling narratives for change and equity.

Authors

• Dane Stickney, University of Colorado - Denver

• Carlos P. Hipolito-Delgado, University of Colorado - Denver

• Shelley Zion, Rowan University