Contributions of the Participatory-Action Research to the study of the Youth

Abstract

This article is the result of the work done in the frame of the U.N.S.L ́s Postgraduate Course “Qualitative Research in Social and Human Sciences”. In this we will try to present a reflection process about the theoretical and methodological approach of youth in the Social Sciences, appraising the Participatory Action Research as a critical approach that not only questions the logics of the positivists knowledge production, but also differs from the qualitative approaches while it constitutes a social and political tool transformation. In this way, we problematize ourselves about the several realities which young people lives every day from a critical perspective.

At first instance we will lay the foundations of our position in relation to the study with youth from a relational and dialectical perspective, being that allow us to work from the complex and multidimensionality of the problematic. Also we´ll analyze the main characteristics of the qualitative methodology and their contribution to the social world analysis. Finally we approximate to some P.A.R ́s contributions to the work with youth as it ́s constitute the opportunity to value the young people like active politicians subjects in the investigational process, which enable process of social transformation.