The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: An Autoethnographic Journey on Doing Participatory Action Research as a Graduate Student

Abstract

The lead author documents the promises and pitfalls of doing critical participatory action research (PAR) as a graduate student within traditional institutions. This autoethnographic essay captures the vulnerabilities of the first author as she reflects on the human work that draws her to PAR, details the tensions that surfaced in the daily practices of doing PAR with youth, and addresses unforeseen hurdles that emerged from the ethics review board and the university–school partnership. The piece concludes with an epilogue from Dr. Michelle Fine, a senior scholar in the field of critical PAR, as she responds to the concerns raised in this essay.

What Do Students Have to Do With Educational Leadership? Making a Case for Centering Student Voice

“…In addition to buttressing students’ development, shared voice and governance also benefits educators. For example, research shows that adult facilitators and supporters of student-led initiatives articulate the specific ways they learn and grow as they work alongside youth to create change inside and outside of schools (Duncan-Andrade & Morrell, 2008; Guishard, 2009; Lac & Fine, in press). Cook-Sather (2007) documents the benefits for all stakeholders—students, student teachers, and school leaders—when adults pay heed to the concerns and perspectives of young people regarding teaching, learning, and schools in general.…”

“…But in other empirical studies, the adults in the building simply either dismissed or disregarded the work of student-led initiatives and/or spent more time marveling at youth’s presentation skills rather than on what they were actually asking traditional leaders to consider changing (Bertrand, 2014; Oakes et al, 2006). Sometimes, as Lac and Fine (in press) report, educational leaders seek to direct the course of an initiative rather than supporting youth in their leadership endeavors. In another example, Oakes and colleagues (2006) detail the resistance from school staff when students protested the practice of racialized tracking at their high school.…”

“You Get a PhD and We Get a Few Hundred Bucks”: Mutual Benefits in Participatory Action Research?

“…To effectively leverage PAR/CBPR for sustainable community health improvement, scholars must examine the potential to adhere to its philosophical traditions, including the development of equitable, mutually beneficial academic–community collaborations. In the following sections, I draw on field notes, recordings, and auto-ethnographic writing (Ellis, 2012; Lac & Fine, 2018) to highlight three critical learning points from engaging in YPAR in the context of my dissertation study, reflecting on the potential for mutually beneficial PAR/CBPR praxes.…”

Migrant Communities and Participatory Research Partnerships in the Neoliberal University

“…While not the focus here, it is worth briefly highlighting other paramount issues that also must be grappled with in this context. One is the role of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), which take a very different view of ethics from those envisioned by participatory research (Manzo & Brightbill, 2007;Lac & Fine, 2018). Institutional processes meant to regulate power relations are insufficient or even counter-productive for the kinds of relationships built through participatory research.…”