Social Transformation on Campus: Student-Led Participatory Action Research

By Pilar Mendoza

How student-led participatory action research can reshape higher education.

In Student Transformation on Campus, Pilar Mendoza, with Maryluz Hoyos Ensuncho and Astrid M. Villamil, weaves together established frameworks in higher education, positive psychology, critical participatory action research, and Latin American critical studies to introduce Student-Led Critical Participatory Action Research (SL-CPAR). Framed as a decolonial approach, SL-CPAR positions students as collaborators in research and practice, fostering more equitable, inclusive, and engaging college campuses.

The goal of SL-CPAR is to cultivate higher education cultures where students, faculty, and administrators work together for a better campus and embrace non-traditional pedagogies. Ultimately, this book contributes to the creation of decolonial spaces in the academy. The authors show how SL-CPAR can move beyond hands-on and participatory classroom exercises to become meaningful tools for institutional transformation. Rather than treating students solely as recipients of education, the authors position them as researchers, collaborators, and agents of change whose lived experiences can inform stronger policies, teaching practices, and campus communities. The book examines how SL-CPAR can address racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of institutional discrimination while strengthening students' sense of belonging, community, and purpose. It also explores how SL-CPAR can contribute to student thriving, retention, and culturally responsive campuses.

Complete with a full day-to-day implementation guide, Social Transformation on Campus offers faculty, student affairs professionals, researchers, and campus leaders an actionable framework for integrating participatory action research with college students. It is an essential resource for anyone committed to creating campuses where students help shape not only their own learning, but the future of higher education itself.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 142145680X
• ISBN13: 9781421456805
• Release Date: June 2027
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 296 Pages
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher