The Development of Critical Consciousness in Black and Latinx Youth Attending "Opposing" Schooling Models

• In Event: Pathways to STEM Identity Development for Youth Underrepresented in STEM

Abstract

Critical consciousness refers to the ability to analyze and take action against oppressive social forces shaping society. This longitudinal, mixed methods study compared the critical consciousness development of Black and Latinx adolescents (n = 458) attending high schools featuring schooling models that represent “opposing” approaches to education. Analyses revealed that the adolescents attending progressive schools demonstrated meaningful growth in their social analysis skills while the adolescents attending no-excuses schools demonstrated meaningful growth in their sociopolitical action. Interviews with adolescents attending these two sets of schools offered evidence of the long-theorized relationship between critical consciousness and problem-posing education, but also that effective practices supporting youth critical consciousness can be found embedded in schools featuring a broader range of pedagogies.

Authors

• Scott Clifford Seider, Boston College

• Daren Graves, Simmons University

• Lauren Leigh Kelly, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education

• Madora Soutter, Villanova University

• Shelby Clark, Harvard University

• Jalene Tamerat, Boston Public Schools

• Pauline Elizabeth Jennett, Boston University

• Aaliyah El-Amin, Harvard University