Young People Have a Lot to Say - With Trust, Time, and Tools - The Voices of Inuit Youth in Nunavik - Ethical Issues and Tools in Participatory Action Research

Oct 15, 2026

This article examines an ongoing participatory action research project in Nunavik (2011–2014) focused on Inuit student resilience and school perseverance, emphasizing voices often excluded from education policy discussions. It analyzes ethical issues that emerged during the research process and evaluates the strengths and limitations of tools and technologies used to engage students and support meaningful participation. The work highlights considerations for researchers collaborating with Inuit youth and broader Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth populations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Education in Nunavik: Shifting the Focus to Resilience

Young People Have a Lot to Say . . . With Trust, Time, and Tools: The Voices of Inuit Youth in Nunavik Tatiana Garakani École nationale d’administration publique, Université du Québec Abstract Young people’s voices are frequently overlooked in discussions about education development and policy. This article draws on an ongoing participatory action research project (2011–2014) in Nunavik on student resilience and school perseverance. It examines ethical issues that have arisen during the research process, and highlights the strengths and limitations of tools and technology used to engage students and make their voices heard. Keywords: youth, Inuit communities, critical Indigenous methodologies, participatory action research, research ethics, resilience Résumé Les voix des jeunes sont souvent négligées dans les débats sur le développement et les politiques de l’éducation. Cet article s’inspire d’une recherche-action participative, planifiée sur trois ans (2011-2014) sur la résilience et la persévérance scolaire des élèves Inuit au Nunavik. Ce document examine plus spécifiquement les considérations éthiques d’un travail de recherche avec les jeunes Inuit. Il explique également les forces et les limites Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 37:1 (2014)©2014 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) des outils qui ont été développés, et de la technologie qui a été utilisée pour faire participer les jeunes et faire entendre leur voix. Mots-clés : jeunes, communautés Inuit, méthodologies autochtones critiques, recherche-action participative, éthique de recherche, résilience Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 37:1 (2014) [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Introduction A large body of literature has investigated the causes of high dropout rates among Inuit youth in Nunavik. Often driven by a deficit approach, many of these studies portray students as victims of their circumstances with little chance of succeeding under existing conditions. Young people’s voices are seldom present in these studies, because research with youth presents very specific challenges. This article draws from an ongoing three-year participatory research project, informed by critical Indigenous methodologies, on the resilience and school perseverance of Inuit students in Nunavik. It describes ethical issues that have thus far arisen during the research process, as well as the various tools used to engage students, increase their participation and make their voices count. This article is of significance to researchers working with youth in Indigenous and Aboriginal communities, as well as young people of other ethnic, social, cultural, or linguistic backgrounds. After providing background information on the research project, we describe the ethical guidelines that informed our research methodology. We then look at ethical considerations of doing research with the Inuit youth. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the tools we used and adapted to ensure the inclusion of young people’s voices. Education in Nunavik: Shifting the Focus to Resilience Created by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement in 1975, the Kativik School Board (KSB) has exclusive jurisdiction in Nunavik to develop programs and teaching materials in Inuktitut, English, and French, and to provide elementary, secondary, and adult education in the region’s 14 communities. Programs must meet objectives set by the Quebec Ministry of Education, but the content and language levels may be adapted to Inuit second-language learners (Kativik School Board, 2013) . Students study in Inuktitut, their mother tongue, from kindergarten to Grade 2. When their children reach Grade 3, parents must choose to place them in English or French immersion. Despite many initiatives and significant changes, there continues to be a m

FAQs

What research project does the article draw on, and what is its focus?

The article draws on a participatory action research project in Nunavik (2011–2014) on Inuit student resilience and school perseverance.

What types of ethical issues are addressed?

It examines ethical issues that arose during the research process when working with Inuit youth.

How does the article evaluate tools and technology used with students?

It highlights both strengths and limitations of tools and technology designed to engage students and help their voices be heard.

Oct 15, 2026

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