Addressing Youth-Focused Research Questions in a Community Context: Collecting and Integrating Mixed Methods Data at...

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Psychology
• Community Research

Background:

• Improving social conditions for marginalized youth requires innovative research designs.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the complexities of youth experiences.
• There is a need for research that integrates diverse data and perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel multilevel, participatory-social justice mixed methods research design.
• To illustrate the application of this design through a real-world study with youth.
• To provide practical recommendations for researchers using similar methodologies.

Main Methods:

• Employed a multistage study (PhotoStories) with three phases: preparation, training, and dissemination.
• Integrated quantitative and qualitative data collected at multiple ecological levels.
• Incorporated participatory-social justice principles throughout the research process.

Main Results:

• Successfully applied a multilevel, participatory-social justice mixed methods design.
• Gathered and analyzed data on youths' community experiences and emotional well-being.
• Examined youth perceptions of their involvement in the research.

Conclusions:

• The developed mixed methods design is effective for youth-focused social research.
• Participatory-social justice approaches are crucial for empowering marginalized youth.
• The study offers valuable lessons for future research in this area.