Empowering Workers and Learners through a Combined Participatory Action Research and Research Justice Approach
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. The Specific Study Context
4. Conceptual Framework: Coupling Participatory Action Research with Research Justice
5. Methodology
6. Creating Opportunities for Participation throughout the Knowledge Lifecycle
6.1. Research Design with Workers and Learners
6.2. Data Collection with Workers and Learners
6.3. Data Analysis with Workers and Learners
- What data points confirm or contradict what you know about workers and learners?
- What data points are powerful? Why?
- What problem(s) does that data point highlight? What could be some solutions?
- Any other thoughts/reflections?
6.4. Workers and Learners Disseminating Findings
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Timeline of Workers and Learners Research Project | ||
---|---|---|
Duration of Research Phase | Research Phase | Specific Activities |
Academic Year 2016–2018 | Research design with workers and learners | UCLA undergraduate students and the research team developed a literature review. |
UCLA undergraduate students engaged in discussions about the experiences of students who work throughout college with community stakeholders and experts. | ||
UCLA undergraduate students and the research team developed research questions for the survey and interview. | ||
Academic Year 2018–2019 | Study 1 Data Collection | UCLA undergraduate students in the 2018 Summer LSRP piloted and refined the survey. UCLA undergraduate students and research team visited community college and university classes to introduce Workers and Learners project and trained them in survey data collection. California Community College, California State University, and UCLA students collectively engaged in gathering survey and interview data. |
Data analysis with workers and learners | As survey and interview data were collected, UCLA undergraduate students and the research team re-visited community college and university classes to analyze emerging findings together. This was an ongoing process that lasted months. Once the data collected were cleaned, UCLA undergraduate students in the 2019 Summer LSRP began to analyze 869 surveys. | |
Academic Year 2019–2020 | Continuation of Study 1 Data Collection | UCLA undergraduate students in the 2019 Summer LSRP program collected 30 more interviews to gather more specific data (n = 75). |
Data analysis with workers and learners | A group of UCLA undergraduate students analyzed interview data (n = 75) and engaged in writing memos. | |
Academic Year 2020–2021 | Study 2 and 3 Data collection in response to COVID-19 and remote learning. | In the spring and summer 2020, the research team trained students attending Los Angeles Pierce Community College, California State University, Long Beach, and UCLA to collect survey and interview data. Data were analyzed together. |
Dissemination with workers and learners | During the summer, workers and learners from the California Community College, California State University, and UCLA received training to be spokespeople and presented data to community stakeholders. Workers and learners have since engaged in disseminating findings via blogs and online webinars. |
College System in Los Angeles County | Institution of Faculty Partners |
---|---|
California Community College | Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Mission College Los Angeles Pierce College Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles Trade-Tech |
California State University | CSU Dominguez Hill CSU Los Angeles CSU Long Beach CSU Northridge |
University of California | University of California, Los Angeles |
Research Opportunities for Undergraduates | Brief Description and Goals | Duration | Number of Students |
---|---|---|---|
UCLA Labor Studies Independent Studies | Workers and learners helped with various aspects of the research process, including the literature review, data collection, and data analysis as well as data dissemination. | Fall 2017 Winter 2019 Spring 2019 Fall 2020 Winter 2021 | 10 |
UCLA Research Seminar | In this course, students had an opportunity to analyze data, contribute their analysis to the report, and create recommendations and dissemination materials. Students developed an understanding of the critical debates regarding the role of research and policy as it relates to Los Angeles’s working students. | Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Spring 2020 | 22 |
UCLA Labor Summer Research Program | Students immersed themselves in applied research focused on the social, economic, and political context and experiences of “workers and learners,” or those who work and attend college in Los Angeles County. Students learned to conduct surveys, analyze data, and contribute their analysis to a research brief. | Summer 2018, 2019, 2020 | 88 |
LA County Colleges and Universities Partnership | Worker and learner surveyors trained students by attending community college and CSU classes; two separate sessions for each class. The first training session focused on learning about the survey project and practicing how to conduct the survey and how to enter their survey results in a Qualtrics spreadsheet. The second class reviewed survey results in a participatory gallery walk and small group format to discuss and critique their data. These trainings were formally incorporated in the courses of faculty taught across the California Community Colleges and California State Universities. | Academic Year 2018–2019 Spring 2020 | 467 |
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Ángeles, S.L.; Wong, M.J.; Shadduck-Hernández, J.; Sharma, P. Empowering Workers and Learners through a Combined Participatory Action Research and Research Justice Approach. Soc. Sci. 2022, 11, 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020060
Ángeles SL, Wong MJ, Shadduck-Hernández J, Sharma P. Empowering Workers and Learners through a Combined Participatory Action Research and Research Justice Approach. Social Sciences. 2022; 11(2):60. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020060
Chicago/Turabian StyleÁngeles, Sophia L., Michele J. Wong, Janna Shadduck-Hernández, and Preeti Sharma. 2022. "Empowering Workers and Learners through a Combined Participatory Action Research and Research Justice Approach" Social Sciences 11, no. 2: 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020060
APA StyleÁngeles, S. L., Wong, M. J., Shadduck-Hernández, J., & Sharma, P. (2022). Empowering Workers and Learners through a Combined Participatory Action Research and Research Justice Approach. Social Sciences, 11(2), 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020060