Youth Participatory Action Research and Unaccompanied Youth in Public Schools

• In Event: Standing With Youth, Parent, and Community Educational Leaders: Case Studies in Subverting Systemic Oppression

Abstract

Objective/Purpose
This paper centers around the journey of four immigrant youth co-researchers designing a study to better understand the schooling experience of immigrant students. Their first-hand knowledge of the schooling process and their interpretation of that process allowed them to find evidence of the spaces their school had curated that led to their success in adaptation, language development, and community involvement. The study revealed how impactful some of the school’s strategies had been in supporting the academic, socio-emotional, and life goals of immigrant students, especially unaccompanied youth. The youth also challenged their context by pointing out areas of needed improvement in student participation in governance structures and decision making, as well as a need to redefine school success for immigrant students. Their call to action led to the creation of a student advisory board at their school that became an outlet for students to share their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which informed the school’s responses. However, none of the original youth co-researchers were able to join the student advisory board pointing to the challenges, even supportive school environments face in integrating sub-groups of students into school structures.

Theoretical framework
The study relied on Critical Race Theory to frame the explicative power of the youth narratives to counter anti-immigrant master narratives that diminish the contributions of young migrants or paint them as criminals connected to international gangs and other societal problems. The study design used a participatory approach to foreground student voice.

Methods
This YPAR study portion spanned over thirteen months of working with youth co-researchers who were all enrolled in a research methods course at their high school. The youth designed a protocol for semi-structured interviews that focused on the schooling experiences of immigrant youth and their interpretation of those experiences. The research team coded the data following iterative inductive and deductive cycles. Biweekly meetings helped the team identify salient themes and devise possible actions.

Selected Results
Students found powerful sources of support in their school, such as practices that promote socio-emotional health, culturally affirming language use, and spaces to share their stories of immigration. The need for formal spaces for students to inform school practices (from curriculum to grading) became an important action step of this research. The establishment of a student advisory board at the site was a direct result of the project.

Scholarly Significance
This study points to the importance of youth epistemology in the study of schooling practices. Youth have much to contribute to the community’s understanding of the impact of schooling practices on students, particularly vulnerable students like unaccompanied youth. Demystifying participatory approaches to authentically engage youth in their own schooling process is another important contribution to the field.

Author

• Leyda Waleska Garcia, UCLA Community School