TITLE:
Participatory Action Research Addressing Social Mobility
AUTHORS:
Carol Cutler White
KEYWORDS:
Social Mobility, College Access, Participatory Action Research, Photovoice, Q Methodology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.10 No.6,
June
27,
2022
ABSTRACT: Low wealth and first-generation high school
graduates face many information barriers in accessing college information. Most
of these students attend public high school
without sufficient high school counselor staff and information resources
to support college going. Further, limiting information about college to one location such as the high school
excludes supports from the community. The purpose of this participatory
action research (PAR) study was to investigate an alternative to the high
school centric model of college access service delivery with a goal to reduce
barriers to college information to improve social mobility. This paper first
presents background on the challenge of college access and the theoretical
framework guiding the study. Next the paper documents the participatory action
research study examining how a community came together to create an action plan
to increase college going and attainment. The PAR process engaged ten students
and four adults in a rural high poverty Mississippi Delta community through
photovoice and Q methodology. The community
identified locations for outreach and noted the importance of trust in the institution and persons delivering the
college access services. The
resultant action plan created a roadmap and guide for community action. The
study has implications for social mobility and the design of college access
outreach and programs. Implications for communities considering college access
outreach programs are provided. Policy implications are outlined including the
need to fund sufficient planning time to enable low wealth and minority
communities to design and plan social mobility programs.