This paper aims to explore democratic values in higher education pedagogies, as related to an Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degree course in an English university. It seeks to find out what constitutes a multi-disciplinary course from both student and tutor perspectives. It is contextualised by the concepts of participation embedded in the idea of…

Nowadays few young people are prepared to consider setting up and managing their own business as a realistic and attractive career option. It is therefore necessary to expose children to the concept of entrepreneurship from a very early age, which means that the school has a fundamental role to play in this task. This research seeks to understand…

The authors discuss how participatory action research (PAR) informs the pedagogy and epistemology of the social justice education. PAR facilitates students' engagement in their social context and acquisition of knowledge to initiate personal and social transformation. The scope of research contains knowledge about social justice issues negatively…

In this article we elaborate a case where citizens were encouraged to discuss an environmental policy plan within seven focus groups. In line with this experience, we raise two questions about the deliberation process we tried to support. First, how to understand the importance of narratives as sources of civic learning? Second, how can a…

This participatory action research study addressed questions of pedagogical strategies, motivation, assessment, and student choice surrounding an inquiry approach to teaching and learning in a 7th grade social studies classroom. Teacher and student data were collected over a 6-week inquiry project stemming from and directed by student choice. Data…

As we move into the 21st century, the needs of our students are more variable than ever. There has been a proliferation of social networking usage in society yet there has been little use of those emerging tools in schools as a means to enhance student learning. It is a common practice in school districts to block social networking sites and…

This study focused on exploring and creating life pathways with a group of twelfth graders at West Philadelphia High School. I invited students to inquire into "life pathways," broadly construed; participants chose to concentrate on transitions to college. Although scholars have investigated many elements of college access, there is…

The purpose of this mixed-methods participatory action research study was to explore the impact of learning communities on students enrolled in the lowest level of developmental math at a two-year college. The learning community consisted of twenty-three students who were enrolled in both a student success course (GEN102) and a developmental math…

4-H has long emphasized the importance of civic engagement and community service for positive youth development. One pathway to this ideal is youth action research and evaluation. This article demonstrates how participatory youth research and evaluation can lead to the successful implementation of community action projects. It describes the…

Justifiably concerned about power dynamics between researchers and participants in participatory research, much of the literature proposes guidelines for including participant voices at every step of the research process. We find these guidelines insufficient for dealing with constraints set up by the social organizational structures in which…

Limited resources have led to a lack of comprehensive state outreach strategies that are geared for non-English speaking constituencies. The investigators worked with Southeast Asian communities in Rhode Island to determine perceptions and levels of trust with various health authorities providing health messaging about fish-consumption practices.…

Contemporary nature education is exploring different ways to develop awareness for change and initiate action. Such educational activities go beyond creating understanding and awareness in order to develop a sense of commitment for individual and collective action. This participatory action research study aimed to improve teachers' sensitiveness…

Sharing storybooks with babies increases their future achievements in literacy, especially in reading (Hall, 2001; Moore and Wade, 1997, 2003; Scarborough et al., 1991; Wade and Moore, 1998; Wells, 1985). This study, focusing on case studies of two 20-month-old children, attempts to identify the role the storybook plays in children's vocabulary…

Previous researchers have focused on student sense of control, grading, and academic performance. However, the influence of letting students self-select the percentage weights for graded course components is not clear. In this research students selected the percentage weights distribution for the graded components in the Capstone: Strategic…

Background: This article describes research undertaken with teachers working in a South African township school, where parental involvement is a persistent problematic issue. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the use of video production as a tool for assisting teachers to explore their perceptions about parental involvement in…