Working with a young people's advisory panel to conduct educational research: Young people's perspectives and researcher reflections

Abstract

Participatory Action Research (PAR) with young people aims to centre their knowledge and experience in research which is meaningful to them. In recent years, there has been an increase in PAR approaches within education, yet there is still a need for greater methodological insight into this approach. In this project, which explored adolescents’ reading motivation and engagement, a young people's advisory panel was convened to ensure the perspectives and experiences of young people were central to the project. The panel consisted of 6 young people (13–15-years-old) from 3 geographically dispersed schools in Scotland. The panel worked with researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee and a national literacy organisation across one academic year to plan and design the project, carry out data collection, and support interpretation the findings. In this article, young peoples’ perspectives on their role and adult perspectives on the methodological approach of working with a young people's advisory panel on a reading research project are explored. Discussion of the benefits (e.g., challenging systems of power and privilege, producing outcomes which are more relevant to pupils), limitations (e.g., truly disrupting hierarchies of power), and considerations (e.g., planning participatory projects, including diverse and representative voices, and ‘bounded empowerment’) for researchers interested in convening youth advisory panels for educational research are provided to contribute towards the growing interest in PAR approaches in educational research.