This article reflects on how participatory processes inspired by action research hold a genuine potential for developing social educational work in a more democratic way. We present our concept of 'Upturned Participation', which is built upon the methodological framework of Critical Utopian Action Research. First Critical Utopian Action Research…

A prominent factor contributing to the success of Hong Kong as one of the high-performing learning systems around the world throughout the decades is its responsive and innovative as well as resilient and sustainable learning ecosystem. Hong Kong's learning ecosystem has long been remaining tripartite, which involves the conventional top-down and…

The news of a 16-year old teenager hacking a 13-year old boy to death in a toilet unprovoked in a secondary school in Singapore shook the whole nation in July 2021. In this article, we analyze the institutionalizing responses to the growing sense of youth mental health crisis in Singapore, catalyzed by River Valley High School incident, as the…

By the end of 2021, more than 168 million students across the globe had missed a year of face-to-face schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In NSW, Australia, most students engaged in learning from home for eight weeks during 2020 and a further 14 weeks during 2021. This study provides robust empirical evidence on how two years of disruptions to…

It has long been known that children who grow up in situations of economic and social disadvantage tend to have more difficulties when they enter school, and that these are often perpetuated, leading to underachievement and disaffection. The role of the family and home environment in stimulating children's language acquisition and pre-literacy…

With a challenge to conceptualize an environmental/sustainability education that employs imaginaries and praxis for learning our way through and beyond our planetary crisis, we consider how posthuman creativity articulates into pedagogical practice. We share insights from our researcher/practitioner experience in two different educational…

This research examines Latino economic elites in Los Angeles who engage in "ethnoracial philanthropy" -- giving to or creating ethnic-centric organisations that focus on alleviating socioeconomic inequalities. We draw on 65 in-depth interviews to provide insights into the ethnoracial educational structures created by Latino elites to…

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2013), more than 29 million people fall under the UNHCR's mandate, which includes "all persons outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and who, as a…

The Chinese government has implemented a series of special admission policies in recent years to promote higher education equity. One of the key approaches is the 'Rural Students Quota Plan', which requires elite universities to enrol a certain number of rural students from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds each year. This study…

Challenges associated with poverty, limited resources, and cultural norms affect both educational and life outcomes for learners in Zambia and other African countries. Many families cannot afford school fees, uniforms, or other educational expenses or requirements. Girls often face greater barriers to education than boys, as cultural norms…

Photovoice involves respondents taking photographs of their environment to promote critical discussions and reflect on their experiences. Photovoice empowers marginalized communities and serves to reach policymakers. The Arizona Youth Identity Project (AZYIP) used photovoice with an innovative approach in a multisite research design with a large…

School principals are critical to students' academic achievement, second only to teachers. They are the primary agents of change in their schools, fostering supportive learning environments that enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness. Moreover, they often design and oversee the initiatives and hiring to sustain the positive changes…

Youth workers in community-based educational spaces often take on multiple roles in supporting young people such as mentors, cultural brokers, and educators. Youth workers' knowledge and expertise, however, are still undervalued in education. This article draws on a community-based ethnography with DACAmented Latinx youth workers to highlight how…

This article, which explores a community filmmaking program for youth facing multiple barriers, presents a unique way of reimagining democratic practice through artful community inquiry that foregrounds entanglements of relations and engagements. In an era of constant change, increasing interdependence between local needs and global influences…

Increasing community awareness and knowledge about environmental problems is the primary goal of environmental education. This study explores the best practices of the Youth for Environment in Schools--Organization (YES-O) in selected schools in the National Capital Region, Philippines. A qualitative study involving interviews and focus group…