42.060 - Linking Knowledge to Action Through Youth Participatory Action Research to Reduce Latina/o Educational Disparities

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium will present three separate youth participatory action research projects located in Arizona, where 41% of school aged children are Latino, 30% of families are immigrants, and 21% of families with children live in poverty. It is within this politically charged context of education and immigration that YPAR projects were initiated in order to use a social justice lens to examine educational disparities. While each project is strongly rooted in the core principles of youth participatory action research, they each take a unique methodological approach, including longitudinal quantitative methods, GPS mapping, ethnographic observations, and interviews. In sum, this panel demonstrates how critical strategies for youth participatory action research increase educational opportunities for Latina/o students.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Action Research

Chair

• Andrea Romero, University of Arizona

Papers

• Omeyocan Youth Empowerment and Sexuality (Omeyocan YES) Project: A Chicana/o Studies and Youth Participatory Action Research Curriculum Awakens Youth Critical Ethnic Consciousness - Rachel Gomez, The University of Arizona; Andrea Romero, University of Arizona

• From Community Mapping to Community Action: Youth Participatory Action Research on the Educational Pipeline - Maura Shramko, The University of Arizona; Andrea Romero, University of Arizona

• Scaling Up Youth Participatory Action Research Through Collaborative Research in Action - Gabriel Higuera, The University of Arizona