Chapter Seven Youth-Led Participatory Action Research

Publication date: 2016 Source:Advances in Child Development and Behavior, Volume 50 Author(s): Emily J. Ozer Youth-led participatory action research (YPAR) is an approach to scientific inquiry and social change grounded in principles of equity that engages young people in identifying problems relevant to their own lives, conducting research to understand the problems, and advocating for changes based on research evidence. This chapter provides an introduction to YPAR followed by consideration of the (a) developmental relevance of YPAR for marginalized youth, (b) implications of YPAR for developmental science research on inequities experienced by youth, and (c) potential opportunities and impact of YPAR for improving key developmental settings such as schools and youth-serving organizations. Resources for conducting YPAR projects are discussed, as well as the need for potential integration of YPAR and other participatory approaches to engaging youth and their expertise—at a significant enough scale to have a meaningful impact on policies and practices that affect youth development.
Source: Advances in Child Development and Behavior - Category: Child Development Source Type: research