Youth Participatory Action Research and School Improvement: The Missing Voices of Black Youth in Montreal

• Published in: Canadian journal of education Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 283 - 307
• Main Authors: Anne-Marie, Livingstone, Celemencki, Jacqueline, Calixte, Melissa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Toronto Canadian Society for the Study of Education 01.01.2014; Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE)
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Action Research; African American Children; African American Community; African American Students; Black youth; Blacks; Citizen Participation; Community Development; Community Organizations; Community organizing; Community Relations; Community Services; Consciousness Raising; Curriculum; Dropout Rate; Dropouts; Educational Change; Educational Facilities Improvement; Educational Improvement; Educational Quality; Educational research; Expectation; Extracurricular Activities; Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 9; High School Students; High schools; History; Instructional Innovation; Intervention; Multicultural Education; Participatory Research; Popular Education; Public Speaking; Quebec (Montreal); Racial profiling; Research methods; School dropouts; School Policy; Social Change; Studies; Success; Teacher Student Relationship; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Thinking Skills; Young Adults; Canada (Montreal)
• ISSN: 0380-2361; 1918-5979; 1918-5979

The article discusses the implementation and results of a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project carried out with black high school students in 2009 and 2010 in Montreal, QC. The aim of the project was to involve black youth in studying the factors that either enhance or impede their success in school and thereby have them identify solutions that would be effective in reducing the high dropout rate of black students in Montreal. The participating students were 15 to 18 years of age, attended four high schools located across the city, and thus represented the cultural and linguistic diversity of Montreal's black community. The results demonstrate that YPAR can lead to a deeper and fuller understanding of the factors that shape students' experiences and performance in school than research that ignores the voices of young people. The study shows that black youth believe academic achievement is influenced by multiple and inter-related factors, including family, peers, school, and neighbourhood. The youth contend that high schools must do more to support black students by setting high expectations for success, maintaining positive teacher–student relations, integrating multicultural curricula such as courses on black history, promoting more innovative pedagogies in the classroom, expanding the range of extra-curricular activities, and working more closely with black community organizations.