UC Berkeley

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a powerful approach to engaging young people in identifying, investigating, and addressing issues that impact their lives. Rooted in the broader field of community-based participatory research, YPAR is guided by core commitments to youth-centered inquiry, participation, and transformative change. It challenges dominant assumptions about who can produce knowledge and has been applied across diverse disciplines, including public health, education, and community psychology, to advance equity-focused research and practice. A growing approach within YPAR includes the integration of arts-based methods into the inquiry and social change process. Arts-based methods draw upon a range of artistic forms, such as photography, theater, poetry, storytelling, music, and dance, and can be incorporated across all phases of research—from question identification to data collection, analysis, and dissemination. When used in YPAR, arts-based methods offer a creative vehicle for critical reflection, self-expression, and dialogue, while also opening imaginative and compelling pathways to amplify youth voices through advocacy and community engagement. Despite growing interest, there remains limited systematic examination of the use of arts-based methods within YPAR, as well as the methodological, practical, and outcomes-related implications of using these approaches. This three paper dissertation seeks to address these gaps by examining the application and impact of using arts-based methods in YPAR. The first paper presents a systematic review of YPAR studies that incorporated at least one arts-based method into the YPAR process. The review synthesizes reported youth, program, and policy-related outcomes and examines how studies describe the connection between those outcomes and the use of arts-based methods. In doing so, this paper adds to the growing body of evidence that positions arts-based methods as a valuable strategy for advancing YPAR’s potential to foster positive youth development and drive social change. The second paper extends this analysis by exploring how arts-based methods are applied across diverse YPAR contexts. It offers an overview of current applications and approaches across the YPAR process, as well as a synthesis of reported benefits, challenges, and areas for further exploration in this growing field. This study reinforces the potential of arts-based methods as a valuable methodological tool and provides insights to inform more intentional and impactful uses of these approaches within YPAR going forward. The third paper presents a qualitative case study of an online, arts-based YPAR project, detailing the process of engaging young people in collaborative, collective interpretation of arts-based data. It highlights process strengths and challenges, emphasizing key factors that shaped the implementation and knowledge generation process. This study contributes practical insights for those seeking to conduct collaborative data analysis using arts-based methods, as well those interested in facilitating YPAR in online environments. Together, these papers advance the field of youth-engaged research by illustrating how arts-based methods can support inquiry, expression, and action in ways that honor young people’s experiences and amplify their voices. Through examining the integration of arts-based methods in YPAR, this dissertation contributes theoretical, methodological, and practical knowledge relevant to researchers, educators, and practitioners seeking more creative, inclusive, and youth-centered approaches to research and collective action across the diverse settings that shape young people’s lives.