Learning Through Research: School Co-investigation with Children and Adolescents

Mahia Saracostti Schwartzman, Ximena De Toro Consuagra, and Iván Suazo Galdames, 2025, Dykinson Ed., Spain.

This book brings together participatory research experiences developed in Chile, in which children and adolescents actively participated as co-researchers. From an approach that interconnects children’s rights, epistemic justice, and educational transformation, these experiences challenge adult-centric paradigms and affirm the capacity of childhoods to generate scientifically valid and socially relevant knowledge. The cases are situated in diverse educational contexts, both urban and rural, and address topics such as civic participation, digital identity, school retention, and the effects of the pandemic on learning processes. Through methodological transparency and a collaborative focus, the book offers concrete tools for teachers, researchers, and policymakers seeking to include children’s voices in the production of knowledge. In dialogue with global initiatives such as YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research), Kids in Action, and Think Big, this proposal from the Global South constitutes a distinctive contribution to international debates on intergenerational research and the democratization of science.

Professor Mahia Saracostti participates as lead author.