Youth Participatory Action Research and Educational Transformation: The Potential of Intertextuality as a Methodological Tool

In this article, Melanie Bertrand explores the potential of using the concept of intertextuality—which captures the way snippets of written or spoken text from one source become incorporated into other sources—in the study and practice of youth participatory action research (YPAR). Though this collective and youth-centered form of research entails an explicit focus on change-oriented action, there is still much to be learned about the connection between processes within YPAR groups and educational shifts beyond them. Using data from a YPAR group as an example, this article aims to chart a course for research to explore this area. The author demonstrates that a methodology incorporating the concept of intertextuality can illuminate how discursive phenomena within a YPAR group may radiate outward. In addition, intertextuality may provide YPAR groups a strategy for increasing outside influence.