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Multicultural education as a tool for disarming violence: A study through in-depth participatory action research
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to document the academic and interpersonal experiences of nine young people who left school before completing high school, to analyze the impact of violence on their leaving school, and to broaden the information base of multicultural education so that it may become a more effective tool for disarming this violence. This study focused on the participants' experiences with school structure, teachers, peers, and family. The participatory action research data collection methodology was employed to facilitate obtaining the desired information from participants by encouraging dialogue between them and the researcher. The goal of this research was to empower them to become investigators of injustice, in this case with respect to their education, so that they may become subjects (as opposed to objects) in the determination of their own destiny with respect to school and/or education. Engaging in similar dialogue with nine participants from vastly different, broadly interpreted cultural backgrounds helped to establish validity. The findings of this study indicate that young people generally like school and their teachers and love their parents despite often grave dysfunction (i.e., violence) in their experiences with each. These experiences characterize, in a variety of ways, how society in general is largely out-of-touch with the reality of young lives. All of the participants in this study appreciated the opportunity to engage in dialogue about their educational experiences in the context of "what did you need that you did not get," yet none of them blamed others for their leaving school. And while all of the participants were visibly emotionally affected by recounting their histories, it is likely that only some of them will transform that emotion into the action necessary to become successful participants in our increasingly diverse and hopefully increasingly democratic society. The implications of this study have relevance for all schools, educators, and parents. It is important for all the participants in young people's lives to become aware of, knowledgeable about, and understanding of the real conditions of existence of young people, which today necessarily include some form of violence, and to reflect this in the organizational structure, curricula, and interpersonal interactions of which young people are a part.
Subject Area
Curriculum development|School counseling|Multicultural Education
Recommended Citation
Clark, Christine Elise, "Multicultural education as a tool for disarming violence: A study through in-depth participatory action research" (1993). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9408265.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9408265