Dr. Jessica Prioletta, PhD, Receives SSHRC-CRSH Insight Grant

Dr. Jessica Prioletta, PhD has received a SSHRC-CRSH Insight Grant, as Principal Investigator, for the project on Safe at School Participatory Action Research with Young Girls in Ontario and Quebec.

In a national CBC-commissioned survey of 4000 students, 15% of female students had experienced sexual assault at school, and 25% reported experiencing inappropriate sexual behaviour before Grade 7 (Taylor et al., 2019, November 8). To the best of our knowledge, research on sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the very early years of schooling (kindergarten to grade 3) remains limited in Canada. This study addresses this pressing issue by investigating young girls’ experiences of SGBV in Ontario and Quebec schools.

Drawing on a critical feminist theoretical lens, this 5-year study will use participatory action research to deepen understandings of safe and unsafe spaces in schools from young girls’ perspectives and to engage stakeholders in developing and implementing action plans for reducing SGBV in schools. In working with girls and schools, we hope to identify potential barriers girls face in accessing safer spaces at school and those teachers and principals face in maintaining them. The action items we identify will help enable safer spaces in the schools in this study and schools across Canada.

Co-Investigator: Catherine Vanner
Collaborators: Elizabeth Baker (University of Calgary), Jennifer A. Thompson (Université de Montréal de Montreal) and Obianuju Juliet Bushi (University of Windsor)