Abstract
Critical literacy involves understanding oneself in relation to structures of power, moving beyond functional reading skills to ways of questioning and understanding the world (Shor, 1999). This study assesses critical literacy within the context of an after-school program with fourth and fifth graders in a low-income neighborhood. Using literature insights, six key expressions of critical literacy were identified for analysis. In Fall 2023, eight university-based researchers documented nine program meetings with 17 children, resulting in 26 field notes. A six-phase thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2013) was conducted. Results indicate that the youth Participatory Action Research (yPAR) program, children demonstrate key expressions of critical literacy through knowledge sharing and navigating their environments. These results suggest that critical literacy can be fostered and expressed in after-school settings and suggest future evaluations to document its development among youth, providing a model for community psychology research.