Youth Participatory Action Research as School Counseling Praxis: A Scoping Review

Abstract

In a systematic scoping review, we analyzed empirical and conceptual writings on youth participatory action research (YPAR) in schools. YPAR has emerged as an empowering and youth-centered approach to group work whereby school counselors and students collaborate on researching, creating, and sharing projects about social ills impacting their lives. Reviewing YPAR literature, this article identifies knowledge gaps regarding the use and benefits of YPAR in school counseling practice.

From Our Cell to Your Block: Hip Hop and Podcasting as a Youth Participatory Action Research Intervention

“…Namely, staff saw the hip hop podcasting intervention as an organic group process that was youth driven, supported youths' ability to relate to each other, and allowed for vulnerable sharing. These findings aid the claim that the hip hop podcasting group functioned as an innovative approach to YPAR in group counseling, where youth are coinvestigators and draw from their internal knowledge (Levy et al, 2023). Like the current study, general podcasting research with youth has indicated improvements in communication skills, collaboration, and self-confidence (Besser et al, 2021).…”

“…Staff play an essential role as co-investigators in the group process, in helping guide youth through the YPAR steps, and in leveraging their own resources to amplify the products youth create. A scoping review on YPAR (Levy et al, 2023) found arts-based approaches particularly beneficial in supporting youth's social/emotional, academic, and career development. Specifically, YPAR projects that result in the creation of hip hop music (Levy & Travis, 2020), photovoice (Edirmanasinghe, 2020;Williams et al, 2020), blogs, vlogs, or art galleries (Cook et al, 2020;Enright & Gard, 2018) were particularly effective.…”