Date of Award
2026-05-22
Degree Name
PhD Education for Social Justice
Dissertation Committee
Suzanne Stolz, EdD, Chair Jorge Ramirez Delgado, EdD, Member James O. Fabionar, PhD, Member
Keywords
Compassion, Flourishing, Wellbeing, Wellbeing Science, Agency, Belonging, Student Voice, Critical Pedagogy, Youth Participatory Action Research, Critical Youth Studies, K-12 Education
Abstract
In an increasingly competitive and standardized world, student wellbeing is a growing priority in K-12 education, alongside an emerging focus on human flourishing. While not commonly paired with wellbeing science, compassion is gaining prominence as an important systemic mindset. Focusing on compassion in schools cultivates attitudes of caring, openness, generosity, concern for others, and concern for the environment, leading to positive impacts on organizational culture and learning. This points to a broader question about what it means for students and communities to flourish. However, it is unclear how compassion is experienced in the lives of students. A common solution has been scaled, external programs implemented as band-aid solutions to wellbeing issues, highlighting how the structure of schools further complicates our understanding of how compassion is experienced.
This study draws on critical pedagogy and critical youth studies to implement action research in partnership with youth researchers, positioning students as co-constructors of knowledge rather than subjects of study. Dialogue served as a central means of participation and consciousness-raising, functioning as a pathway to compassionate action. Findings reveal that compassion is most often experienced through positive relationships and spaces that promote belonging. Conversely, students experience significant barriers to compassion including social, relational and systemic challenges such as power imbalances, a hidden curriculum, and a lack of awareness for compassion. Additionally, students resist siloed, top-down approaches that fail to recognize their needs and experiences. Compassion was rarely experienced through formal programs or stated values.
At the same time, the study surfaces promising insights for schools that shift our focus beyond programmatic solutions toward more participatory, dialogic and youth-centered approaches. Students are calling for a radical transformation in which compassion is systematically embedded across all structures of the school and normalized in everyday interactions. When we elevate student voice and view them as partners, new possibilities for compassion emerge grounded in school context and learner experiences, ultimately shaping the conditions for human flourishing.
Document Type
Dissertation: Open Access
Department
Learning and Teaching
Digital USD Citation
Waudby, Tara S., "Compassion at the Core: Reimagining Schools as Centers of Human Flourishing Through Youth-Led Action Research" (2026). Dissertations. 1113.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1113
Copyright
Copyright held by the author
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC License
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Holistic Education Commons, Humane Education Commons, Other Education Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons
Comments
This work encourages replication of the protocols and structures within your own schools. Please use the findings as information for further study with the understanding that the students in your context may have insights and feedback unique to your school. The aim is co-creation with students. They are the experts of their own experience and we should be listening to them.