Work

A Case Study of Participatory Action Research in a Public New England Middle School: Empowerment, Constraints and Challenges

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: PAR recognizes teachers and students as co-creators in a learning process that builds self-efficacy essential to long-term educational success. In enabling contexts, PAR projects also allow teachers to critically deconstruct societal power, examine how these dynamics are reproduced in the classroom, and work against the silencing of student voices. This case study describes the process of implementing an inquiry-based PAR model into a formal urban middle school program intended to reduce drop out rates. The anthropologist/researchers employed participant observation, interviews, and review of student work to explore the dynamics, challenges, and constraints confronted during the process. The intervention demonstrated the gap between practice and theory in a middle school environment marked by well-defined hierarchies and roles as well as high-stakes testing.

Source: American Journal of Community Psychology

DOI: 10.1007/s10464-010-9336-7

Authors: Evelyn Newman Phillips, Marlene J. Berg, Chiedza Rodriguez, Damion Morgan

Institutions: Central Connecticut State University, Institute For Community Research

Language: English

Topic: Participatory Visual Research Methods

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,620