Children planning for social change: a participatory action research project using Appreciative Inquiry

This project explored children’s views on what is going well in their school communities and what they would like to be better. The project was developed as one of a group of initiatives by a local authority (LA) Educational Psychology Service (EPS) to promote children’s wellbeing and pupil voice in schools. Six to eight children took part within each of three primary schools in an outer-London local authority. The children were co-researchers within the participatory action research project which used an Appreciative Inquiry framework. The co-researchers decided on the focus of the research, the methods of data collection, collected the data, carried out the analysis, and made decisions about dissemination within their school communities. The article shows that the study led to change within each of the school contexts. Implications for practice lie in the study’s innovative and empowering approach to facilitating children’s participation in planning for social change.