Poster #71 - Critical Consciousness in Pre-Adolescents: An Initial Exploration

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Critical consciousness (CC) is a developmental asset that equips young people to challenge societal inequities and negotiate barriers to social mobility and inclusion (Diemer et al., 2016). CC entails critical analysis of inequities and motivation and action taken to promote social change (Watts et al., 2011). A burgeoning body of work suggests that factors in youths’ school context—such as classroom climate and teachers’ expectations for their students—shape levels of CC in marginalized youth (e.g., Godrey and Grayman, 2014). Moreover, scholars have recently begun exploring how CC develops (Watts & Hipolito-Delgado, 2015). However, from a developmental perspective, one important but unexplored area of inquiry is if and how CC manifests in pre-adolescents. That is, while there is a growing body of research about the CC of adolescents and young adults, less is known about how CC manifests in a younger population (e.g., youth aged 9-12).
This study aims to address this gap, serving as an initial exploration of CC in pre-adolescent youth. First, we examine the extent to which pre-adolescent youth exhibit critical reflection and critical motivation, two components of CC (Diemer et al., 2017;Watts et al., 2011). Second, we explore how student perceptions of the classroom environment a teacher creates, specifically in terms of teacher expectations and an open classroom climate, relate to students’ emerging levels of CC.
Sample
The study sample (N = 139; Mage = 10.16) was drawn from two elementary schools in the Southeastern United States. Most participants were in fourth grade (n = 102; 73.4%), while the remainder were in fifth grade (n = 31; 22.3%). The sample was fairly balanced by sex (female n = 63; 45.3%), and the majority identified as youth of color (n = 88; 64.7%).
Results
Results suggest adequate internal consistency for critical reflection: perceived inequality, for the full sample and for the fourth and fifth grade sub-samples individually. Lower internal consistencies for critical reflection: egalitarianism and critical motivation were observed, indicating either that pre-adolescents are not yet critically conscious—at least in the same way as older youth—or that these scales may not adequately measure CC in pre-adolescents. When assessing these scales by grade level sub-sample, reported reliabilities were substantially higher for fifth grade respondents. Further, a review of item-level results suggested low reliabilities may have emerged due to difficulty with reverse-coded items in the critical reflection: egalitarianism and the critical motivation scales, regardless of grade level. Internal consistencies were substantially higher, for the sample as a whole and for the fourth and fifth grade sub-samples individually, when these scales’ reverse-coded items were removed. See Table 1.
Correlational analyses suggest significant positive relations between teacher expectations and open classroom climate, as well as between open classroom climate and critical motivation. Critical motivation was positively related to critical reflection: egalitarianism, while both of these were negatively related to critical reflection: perceived inequality. See Table 2.
This paper will present full study results, including findings from more extended analyses, and implications of this research will be discussed.

Authors

• Luke J. Rapa, Clemson University
  Presenting Author

• Faiza M Jamil, Clemson University
  Non-Presenting Author