Ethnic Studies and Youth Participatory Action Research: Working With and Alongside Urban and Migrant Youth

• In Event: 34.068 - Transforming Relations Through Community-Based Research and Projects: The Paulo Freire Democratic Project

Abstract

Research on existing Ethnic Studies programs highlights positive outcomes for students of color, who often under-perform in school or experience low graduation rates, in terms of academic achievement and academic engagement (see Sleeter, 2011; Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2014). These studies have found that Ethnic Studies programs can lead to student achievement, even among those most at-risk (Cabrera et al., 2014; Cammarota & Romero, 2009). What scholars are finding is how making content culturally relevant leads to increased engagement and performance (Brozo & Valerio, 1996; de los Riós, López, & Morrell, 2014).

While the efforts to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement throughout California are commendable on many levels, there are two major processes that, if left under-developed and unstructured, Ethnic Studies programs may not grown into their own potential as truly transformative multicultural education projects. The first is the mentorship required for Ethnic Studies teachers (see Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2014). The second, and perhaps least discussed, is a struggle over the Ethnic Studies curriculum, namely how to make it not only culturally relevant but also community-based.

At this juncture is the possibility for Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) as a vehicle for ensuring that Ethnic Studies projects emerge out of the needs and aspirations of historically marginalized communities (Irrizary, 2009). YPAR is also an emergent field, characterized by students taking up research to investigate the conditions impacting their lives in order to make social change (Akom, 2009; Cammarota & Fine, 2008; Stovall, 2006).

Authors

• Jose Paolo Magcalas, Chapman University

• Miguel Zavala, California State University - Fullerton