Somali, Latino, and Hmong Youth Perceptions of School Connectedness.

Purpose: School connectedness positively influences adolescent health outcomes and is a key social determinant of health, yet, contributors to school connectedness for youth from immigrant communities remain poorly defined. Methods: This community-based participatory research study uses thematic analysis to identify contributors to Somali, Latino, and Hmong (SLH) adolescents' school connectedness. We conducted nine focus groups with 71 SLH male and female adolescents, the majority aged 13-18 years, in a United States Midwestern metropolitan area. Results: SLH students described contributors to their school connectedness that fit within three broad themes: (1) SLH students desire to be known and supported by their teachers as individuals, (2) specific teacher instructional approaches reinforce or undermine SLH student-school connections, and (3) transparency and fairness in school disciplinary practices are especially important for promoting Latino student-school connectedness. Conclusion: SLH youth perspectives offer ways for educators to foster increased school connectedness to improve academic and health outcomes among increasingly diverse student populations.

Lessons Learned in Implementing Youth and Parent Participatory Action Research in a School-Based Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Participatory action research (PAR) empowers youth and parent stakeholders to address school connectedness and school environment inequities to improve educational social determinants of health. OBJECTIVES: To identify lessons learned when implementing school-based youth and parent PAR (YPAR and PPAR) targeting health and academic outcomes for Indigenous students and students of color. METHODS: We collected data from five community-academic research team members who coordinated YPAR and PPAR implementation across five middle and high schools and used thematic analysis with deductive and inductive coding to identify contributors to successful PAR implementation. RESULTS: Experiential learning strengthened youth and parent researcher skills and maintained their engagement, community-building supported the PAR process, PAR required support from facilitators with diverse skill sets, and individuals in bridging roles positioned researchers for success within institutions. CONCLUSIONS: PAR holds promise for application in other settings to address institutional change and social determinants of health.