Teacher Education, Research, and Human Rights: A Systematic Literature Review Unveiling Participation as a Transformative Principle of Education

Abstract

This article aims to conduct a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the use of participatory research methodologies in teacher education, its relationship with education and human rights, gathering the main trends and gaps in the academic literature from the past ten years, thereby contributing to the debate on reflective and emancipatory pedagogical practices. The guiding question of the SLR is based on the assumption that participatory research strengthens teachers' professionalism and professional identity, promoting a training model grounded in critical reflection, inclusion, and social justice. The chosen methodological strategy followed the procedures outlined in the PRISMA protocol (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) for a Systematic Literature Review, according to the guidelines established by Moher et al. (2009) and updated by Page et al. (2021), aiming to ensure rigor, transparency, and reproducibility in conducting the research. The internationally recognized databases used for this review include Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, SciELO, and Google Scholar. The research was conducted using Boolean operators, combining the terms Participatory Research, Teacher Education, Emancipatory Education, Narratives, and Human Rights. The inclusion criteria involved peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024, in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, explicitly addressing participatory methodologies and their relationship with teacher education. The qualitative data analysis was based on Content Analysis (Bardin, 2011) and Narrative Analysis, allowing for the identification of patterns and pedagogical reflections.