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

The authors discuss 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. The aim of their 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 authors point out that their research project 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. They contend that their 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.

Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation

Vol. 37

no. 1

283-307

2014

en