Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Campus Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education/Leadership in Urban Schools
First Advisor
Patricia Krueger-Henney
Second Advisor
Abiola Farinde-Wu
Third Advisor
Lorna Rivera
Abstract
This study sought to understand the problems and gaps associated with the ways “student voice” has been conceptualized and researched in education. It explored previous research conducted in the areas of student engagement, student voice, student agency, and empowerment. In addition, the findings revealed a need for more critical and intersectional research around student voice and agency to amplify the voices of students who have historically not been heard and included in school decision making. As such, this study documented high school students’ experiences with student voice in ways that center their complex identities and privilege the power and possibilities of their voices.
Using a visual action research design, the study brought together six high school and former high school youth for a series of workshops and individual interviews. Youth participants created and shared various visual narratives with the primary researcher and each other to identify and illustrate the ways they had experienced and encountered voice, agency, and empowerment over the course of their high school careers. The study’s research design and findings challenge dominant narratives and applications of language related to voice, agency, and empowerment, arguing for a positioning of youth voice, agency, and empowerment outside the confines of limiting, adult-dominated, and saturated language about how youth participate in their own schooling and learning experiences.
Recommended Citation
Cincis, Dana Marie Brown, "Challenging Perceptions of Voice, Agency, and Empowerment Through the Lens of Current and Former High School Students" (2023). Graduate Doctoral Dissertations. 815.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/doctoral_dissertations/815
Comments
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