1st Edition

Critical Participatory Action Research in Higher Education For Us By Us

Edited By Orkideh Mohajeri, Roshaunda L. Breeden, Mia Ocean Copyright 2026
212 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

212 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

212 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

A must-have resource, Critical Participatory Action Research in Higher Education brings together real examples, case studies, and learning materials to guide the use of critical action research methodologies. This timely book catalogues efforts to affect change in our own communities, and invites readers to consider how action research has been conducted in U.S. colleges and universities by... Read more

Preface: A Love Letter For Us By Us
Orkideh Mohajeri, Roshaunda L. Breeden, and Mia Ocean

Part 1: Critical Participatory Action Research: Philosophy, Challenges, and Necessity

1. For Us By Us CPAR: Making the Case for a New Era of CPAR in U.S. Higher Education Contexts
Roshaunda L. Breeden, Orkideh Mohajeri, Mia Ocean

2. Anti-Oppressive Critical Participatory Action Research and Ethics in U.S. Postsecondary Education
Mia Ocean, Orkideh Mohajeri, and Roshaunda Breeden

Part 2: Methodology in Action

3. Indigenous Participatory Action Research as Indigenous Research Protocol
Cori Bazemore-James and Stephanie J. Waterman

4. Endarkened PAR Buildings Relationships, Shares Power, and Centers Spirit in Research With and For Black Communities: “You Couldn’t Have Done This Without Us”
Roshaunda L. Breeden, Tavaria Smith, and Aniya Willis

5. Sharing Power in Participatory Action Research With Undocumented College Students
Cinthya Salazar

6. Power-Conscious Collaborative Research: A Framework for Developing CPAR Projects with Hypermarginalized Communities
Terah J. Stewart

7. Centering the Expertise and Black Undergraduate Science Students in Critical Participatory Action Research
Darris R. Means, Julie Dangremond Stanton, and Jori N. Hall

8. Governance PAR: How Critical Participatory Action Research Works in the Hallowed Halls of University Governance
Ella Chamis, Demetri Morgan, Chandler K. Hawkins, Felicia Commodore, V. E. Callais, and Lucy A. LePeau

Part 3: Applying the Methodology

9. Coding through the Tenets of Critical Race Theory
Zoe Jamison, Karon Hicks, Rose Montgomery, and Mia Ocean

10. Developing a Qualitative Survey Instrument through CPAR to Support Prospective Health Science Majors at a Community College
Damian Hawkins

11. Photovoice and Critical Participatory Action Research: Choices and Challenges of Using an Arts-Based Method as a Research Team
Robin Phelps-Ward, Cameron Becker, Antoinette Asabea Addo, Judith Owano, Emmanuella Asiama-Sampong, Dushani Eshwaran, Naa Lamptey, and Micah Ross

12. Engaging Youth as Change Agents through YPAR as a Critical Qualitative Methodology
Jenay F. E. Willis

13. Writing and Dissemination of Critical Participatory Action Research Insights
Matthew Kruger-Ross

14. Epilogue: Teaching Critical Participatory Action Research in Higher Education
Orkideh Mohajeri and Roshaunda L. Breeden

Biography

Orkideh Mohajeri is Associate Professor of Higher Education Policy & Student Affairs at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Roshaunda L. Breeden is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University, USA.

Mia Ocean is Associate Professor of Social Work at Wichita State University, USA. 

“This book is an integral contribution for helping scholars understand and practice critical research methods for, by and with the communities they deeply care about. The chapters guide readers in exploring the contours of CPAR and its incredible usefulness in higher education research. I am most appreciative of how this book, a love letter to current and future scholars, represents a commitment to both illuminating marginalized communities, while simultaneously upsetting the centrality of whiteness, so often embedded in CPAR research.” 

Lori Patton Davis, Heyman Endowed Chair and Educational Leadership Program Faculty Director, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. 

 

"Critical Participatory Action Research in Higher Education not only explains and demonstrates PAR methodology effectively but also invites a deeper reflection within yourself, the participants, the research process, and most importantly, the research topic — resulting in transformative outcomes and valuable resources.” 

Aniya Willis, CPAR Student Co-researcher, University of Georgia, USA.