'…You'll Still Make It to the Top': Using Photovoice to Explore Latina/o/x Excellence from the Perspectives of Latina/o/x Youth

Y

21

Hispanic American Students; Student Attitudes; Photography; Grade 9; High School Students; Participatory Research; Action Research; Student Projects; Success; Barriers

0018-1498

While there are numerous studies that employ additive frameworks to combat deficit views of Latina/o/x students, few focus on the perspectives of Latinx youth. This study examines the ways in which 9th grade high school Latinx students define and conceptualize excellence at home, school, and the community using photovoice methodology as a means of youth participatory action research. This research analyzed the photovoice projects of 22 students contextualized within their Educational Journeys (Rodriguez, 2018). The following objectives guided this article: 1) to empirically examine excellence across the home, school, and community among a group of Latina/o/x 9th graders, 2) to provide an in-depth case analysis of two students' photovoice projects within the context of other data sources explored within the Collaborative Research for Equity and Excellence in Our Schools (CREER) project, and 3) to situate the findings within the larger context of the challenges and possibilities facing Latina/o/x students in education. The photovoice projects allowed students to authentically share their stories on the sources of excellence that shape who they are. The article concludes with implications for educators on how they might incorporate photovoice methods in the classroom across the educational pipeline.

As Provided

2021

EJ1312274