This paper focuses on an exploration of the use of participatory approaches for facilitating change in schools. Lesson observations, fieldnotes from meetings, and interviews with teachers and children were collected in a study that aimed at exploring how inclusion can be promoted through an engagement with student voice in primary (elementary)…

This paper describes a participatory action research project that was delivered on Saturday mornings to vice-principals (VPs) in two Anglophone school districts in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, in 2022 and 2023. The project was set up as an invitational five-part seminar series that was grounded in educational theory and leadership…

Australian psychology higher education and training has historically excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' knowledge systems which has profoundly shaped the discipline, including its cultural responsiveness. Decolonising psychology education offers a systemic approach to improve education and practice, and, in turn, the cultural…

Purpose: This qualitative case study examines the ways youth participatory action research (YPAR) represents a tool that could promote educational dignity. This study focuses on 11 elementary-aged students, all identified as Black or Latinx, who participated in an after-school YPAR project at their Title I elementary school. Research Methods:…

This study explores Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a practice that promotes collaborative knowledge construction between researchers and participants. Within this framework, a PAR experience carried out for the transformation of a school in the province of Valencia (Spain) is explored. The aim is to analyse the shared construction of…

Within social science research the complex nature of relationship-making and 'friendship as method' has gained enthusiasm. However, there is still a significant lack of research on 'friendship as method' with children and young people in participatory studies. Drawing on empirical case studies, we ask: how does 'friendship as method' work in…

This paper, delivered as a provocative keynote address to the Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN) conference in Manchester on 28th October 2023, explores the question if action research might have a sweet spot. A sweet spot is defined as an ideal location, area or combination of factors for a particular activity or purpose. It draws on…

Background: The transition from primary to secondary school is a pivotal period in young people's lives and can significantly impact their mental health. However, the experiences of young people from ethnically diverse groups during this crucial period of physical, social and emotional development are under-researched, limiting the evidence base…

Purpose: This paper presents the use of the Group Analysis Method (GAM), an innovative method developed in a francophone context, to discuss issues related to the services offered in the field of addiction in Quebec's Indigenous communities and to identify perspectives for innovative solutions. Design/methodology/approach: This article begins with…

Forum theatre is a drama-based dialogic method proposed by Boal (2008) that can be used as a participatory research method to document how young people make sense of the world around them. In forum theatre, collaboratively authored situations are put forward by groups of people working collectively to illustrate instances of oppression. The play…

In this study, we employ a participatory action research framework to investigate how preservice music teachers can take part in developing their own education. The main focus is on how two music teacher educators at two institutions in Norway work to create a space for student voice and participation. The study's data are analysed and presented…

Multi-institutional and multi-professional research projects are valued for the impact and learning they generate, but their successful completion is crucially dependent on the various actors recognising their differences and working through/with them as a team. This paper is a critical reflection on one such participatory action research project,…

This collaborative self-study with pre-service teachers describes a process of examining the use of drawings as a pedagogical tool at a tertiary institution of learning. Hence, this research examines the question: What can I learn from my students to improve the use of drawings as a pedagogical tool and thus improve my work as a teacher educator?…

Purpose: This paper describes how a pre-service teacher's knowledge and pedagogy changed as she documented her reflective practice while teaching arts-integrated lessons in a fifth-grade classroom during her pre-service teacher preparation program. The pre-service teacher spent three-months conducting an action research project in collaboration…

Action research methodologies are dynamic, as they often evolve with a group and are shaped by multiple contributions that can change over time. As researchers are embedded within this process, reflexivity is paramount to remain attuned to how they move with and shape the research. In search of a dynamic way of engaging with reflexivity in action…