Berkeley Review of Education

This project examined the experiences of six Ethnic Studies students who simultaneously engaged in two youth participatory action research (YPAR) projects, one in school and one out of school. The in-school project was situated within an urban high school that had a predominantly Latinx student population. The research explores the relationship between program context and student experiences of YPAR and was guided by the following question: How do students who are simultaneously involved in two YPAR projects experience an in-school YPAR endeavor along with an afterschool YPAR project, and what are the possibilities and limitations of such interventions? This qualitative case study utilized ethnographic methods, interviews, and a survey to better understand the youth experiences. Findings illustrated that students preferred YPAR to both an Ethnic Studies classroom and a traditional classroom. However, within YPAR, the students preferred the out-of-school endeavor as it offered more freedom to conduct their work. This research demonstrated the challenges of implementing YPAR within schools. Students noted how traditional classrooms reinforce hierarchical schooling, the in-school YPAR project operated as a form of bounded inquiry, while the out-of-school endeavor provided a space for open inquiry.