With Tulane University undergraduate psychology students serving as mentors, New Orleans middle school students are learning how to conduct research into their own lives and communities.

They’re part of the Little Researchers of Creative Change (Little ROCCs), a research initiative that empowers students ages 13 to 15 to become agents of change within their schools and neighborhoods.

Little ROCCs is overseen by the Coalition of Compassionate Schools, a program run by Tulane trauma psychologists in the Department of Psychology at the School of Science and Engineering. The coalition, which also includes other local nonprofits, trains teachers and school leaders how to best reach students who are struggling in the classroom.

During the previous school year, the coalition trained 7th and 8th graders at ReNew Schaumburg Elementary School, ReNew Laurel Elementary School and Lafayette Academy to take on the roles of Little ROCCs by investigating such issues as negative student/teacher relationships, low student motivation and overall stress. With the support of Tulane staff and undergraduate mentors from Tulane, Xavier and Loyola universities, the Little ROCCs developed research questions, conducted interviews and focus groups, administered surveys and analyzed findings.

This past summer, the coalition piloted a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) camp on Tulane’s uptown campus, where students learned critical thinking and leadership skills along with the importance of civic engagement.

“I think YPAR is so powerful because it positions kids as the experts,” said Jesse Chanin (SLA ’21), camp director and youth engagement fellow at the Coalition for Compassionate Schools. Chanin also holds a PhD in sociology from Tulane. “That makes it an impactful intervention on service learning as well. Because the undergrads are not going there to tutor the students or address some perceived deficiency. They are going to deeply listen to the kids and partner with them to make their vision a reality.”

J’Lyn Wilson (SSE ’24), a recent Tulane graduate who is now in the 4+1 Psychology Master’s program, described the camp as a transformative experience for students as well as herself. “The students are actively using their newfound knowledge to fuel their empowerment and advocate for positive change in every space they enter,” she said.

Tulane students transformed their research findings into a 30-minute professional development seminar titled “What Students Need,” which they plan to facilitate throughout the Orleans Parish school district to help teachers and school administrators better meet the social and emotional needs of their students.