How Variations in Implementation Moderate the Student Outcomes of Youth Participatory Action Research in Urban High Schools

• In Event: Doing YPAR in School: An Empirical Account of the Process and Outcomes of School-Based YPAR from the Eyes and Words of Students, Teachers, and University Researchers

Abstract

This study compares academic and civic outcomes between high school students who participated in classroom-based youth participatory action research (YPAR) and those who did not. The study is part of a larger multiyear project of our urban research-practice partnership to make learning more culturally responsive, project-based, and equity-oriented. We used data from students in four urban high schools, under half of whom engaged in YPAR during the school year. Our findings show that students who engaged in YPAR in their classes had significantly higher academic achievement and social justice attitudes and lower academic self-efficacy compared to academically and demographically similar same-school peers. We further examine how YPAR was implemented moderates its effect.

Authors

• Adam Voight, Cleveland State University

• Sarah Peko-Spicer, American Institutes for Research

• Amirhassan Javadi, Cleveland State University

• Marquan Jones, Cleveland State University