What Youth Care About: Exploring Topic Identification for Youth-Led Research in School

Abstract

Youth-led participatory action research (YPAR) has been documented to increase youth’s social, emotional, and cognitive outcomes, foster critical thinking and academic success, and encourage civic participation. YPAR allows for young to develop their voices, direct their own learning and act as change agents as they take steps to influence their community’s civic health. This article offers an account of one urban, public high school’s effort to integrate YPAR as a year-long project for all enrolled 9th graders. Drawing on the work of 100 students who participated in this year-long project, this inquiry examines the topic identification phase of the school’s first-ever enactment of YPAR as part of the everyday curriculum. Specific attention is paid to understanding the issues and questions that surfaced during the topic identification stage of the action research process within a formalized school setting. This work has implications for teachers and school leaders interested in adopting YPAR as part of the school-sanctioned curriculum for all students.