We Have Something to Say: Youth Participatory Action Research as a Promising Practice to Address Problems of Practice in Rural Schools

  • Darris Means University of Pittsburgh
  • Sydney Blackmon Hart County High School
  • Elizabeth Drake Hart County High School
  • Paris Lawrence University of Georgia
  • Angel Jackson University of Georgia
  • Anna Strickland Madison County Chamber of Commerce
  • Jenay Willis University of Pittsburgh
Keywords: youth participatory action research, rural youth, postsecondary education access

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to highlight a critical approach for practice, youth participatory action research, that can be used to invite rural youth to collaborate with school administrators, educators, and community leaders to identify and examine challenges, while building upon the strengths of a school and community to address challenges. Our youth participatory action research project was a collaboration between adult researchers and five students from a rural high school to examine and address postsecondary education access challenges. The adult and student researchers developed and implemented two evidence-based products: (a) a conference and (b) a resource corner in the school library. Student co-researchers demonstrated an increased commitment to the project, development of postsecondary education knowledge, and development as leaders during the project. Our project demonstrates evidence of youth participatory action research being an effective approach to address problems of practice in rural education.

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Published
2021-01-18
How to Cite
Means, D., Blackmon, S., Drake, E., Lawrence, P., Jackson, A., Strickland, A., & Willis, J. (2021). We Have Something to Say: Youth Participatory Action Research as a Promising Practice to Address Problems of Practice in Rural Schools. The Rural Educator, 41(3), 43-54. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v41i3.1074
Section
Promising Practices