Study Status
Completed
Project Team
Principal Investigator: Kalonji Nzinga, PhD
Alignment with Crown Institute Vision
Sustaining culturally-specific, community-led learning initiatives faces structural barriers, unstable funding streams, institutional regulations and gatekeeping in schools, and broader political and policy pressures that have rolled back or constrained DEI-oriented programming. Traditional education systems often favor standardized testing and rigid curriculum, which can further marginalize students whose strengths lie in creative, culturally-informed or collaborative modes of learning.
Background & Context
Students of color continue to experience disproportionate school exclusion, lower access to culturally-relevant arts instruction, and worse mental-health indicators than peers, creating an urgent need for culturally-grounded programs that build belonging and resistance. Lyripeutics could produce a scalable, culturally-grounded model for arts-based learning that improves Black and Brown youth’s social-emotional wellbeing, agency, and school engagement while demonstrating how hip-hop practices can serve as rigorous pedagogical tools for learning and healing.
Primary Aims
Investigate how hip-hop-based pedagogy supports youth well-being and identity formation. Examine mechanisms by which co-created learning spaces influence engagement. Explore which program components most effectively engage students and help build skills and knowledge. Assess broader community and cultural impact.
Research Methods
Design-based research and participatory action research approach. Students, educators, and researchers co-create curriculum and activities in storytelling, hip-hop, and field recordings. Mixed qualitative data collected via interviews, class observations, and student-created artifacts. Arts-based and ethnographic methods analyze narrative processes and cultural wealth practices.
Key Findings & Publications /
Presentations
N/A
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References
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