The Associations Between Ethnic-racial Identity, Microvalidations, and Microinvalidations in Predicting Critical Consciousness among Emerging Adults

• In Event: Understanding how racially minoritized students navigate college contexts and relationships

Abstract

Critical consciousness (i.e., one’s understanding of their social conditions and individual or collective action taken to change perceived inequities) is a promotive factor for marginalized individuals (Diemer et al., 2017; Herberlet et al., 2020), particularly among college students (George Mwangi et al., 2019). Ethnic racial-identity and discriminatory experiences contribute to the development of critical consciousness (Byrd & Ahn, 2020, Kiang et al., 2021), but no study to our knowledge has considered positive racialized experiences as a contributor to critical consciousness. Toward that end, we developed a microvalidation measure that captures the extent to which an individual has experiences in multiracial spaces that validate their racial identity, experience of allyship and feel anti-racism support. We propose that both microvalidations and microinvalidations that students may face (George Mwangi et al., 2019) will independently shape critical consciousness in college students.

With an ethnically and racially diverse minority college sample (N=327, Mage = 18.8, SD = 1.28; 78.6% female, 0.9% non-binary; 88.4% U.S. born), the measure was validated and its links with critical consciousness investigated. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to evaluate the factor structure alongside a related construct, microinvalidation (Nadal, 2011). Weighted Least Square Mean and Variance Adjusted (WLSMV) estimator was used. Ultimately, a two-factor solution was selected as the final factor structure, based on model fit indices and items that had greater than 15% of its variance explained by the primary factor. When these items were entered into a 2-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (Table 1), the model displayed adequate fit (χ2(151) = 516.218, p < .001, CFI = .947, RMSEA = .086, SRMR = .068). These factors were distinct, but positively related to one another (r = .494, p < .001). Convergence and discriminant validity was established by examining links to ethnic-racial centrality (Sellers et al., 1998; r = .173, p = .003) and familism values (Lugo Steidel & Conteras, 2003 r = .107, p = .056).

Structural equation modeling was used to identify links with critical consciousness using the identified factors as predictors and controlling for ethnic-racial centrality. Illustrated in Figure 1, controlling for other predictors, microinvalidations were associated with greater critical reflection (b = 0.21 p < .01) and critical action (b = 0.40 p < .001), whereas experiences of microvalidations were associated with critical action only (b = 0.14, p = <.05). Ethnic-racial centrality was associated with greater critical motivation (b = 0.28, p = <.001) and reflection (b = 0.12, p =<.05). Altogether, results points towards the unique role of microvalidations in influencing critical action, above and beyond experiences of invalidation and one own’ ethnic-racial identity, suggesting that experiences of validation are key to shaping young adult’s anti-racist actions. Moreover, feeling supported by others in facing their racialized experiences are critical to shaping the action component of critical consciousness, especially in more multiracial college spaces.

Authors

• Michele Chan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Presenting Author

• N. Keita Christophe, McGill University

• Lauren Farmer

• Gabriela Livas Stein, University of North Carolina at Greensboro