Critical consciousness refers to the process by which individuals increase awareness of the forces that perpetuate societal injustice and develop a sense of efficacy and empowerment to challenge them (Jemal, 2017). Critical consciousness has been correlated with aspects of positive youth development such as mental health and improved academic and civic engagement. However, less is known about the specific factors that may contribute to critical consciousness among youth, and particularly among White youth, who are under-studied with regard to their role in dismantling injustices in their environments. As such, this exploratory study aimed to examine the extent to which mental health indicators (i.e., presence of wellbeing and absence of psychological distress) and factors related to peer, parent, and school socialization (i.e., political discussions with peers, intergroup contact, political discussions with parents, and school-level critical consciousness) were associated with each dimension of critical consciousness (critical reflection, critical motivation, and critical action) among White adolescents. Additionally, given links between critical consciousness and taking action to challenge injustice, this study also explored the extent to which each dimension of critical consciousness related to self-reported bystander behaviors during incidents of bias-based harassment at school.
Participants (n = 374 White high school students) completed an online survey which assessed critical consciousness, mental health (wellbeing and psychological distress), factors related to peer, parent, and school socialization, and self-reported bystander behaviors when witnessing bias-based harassment at their schools. Of the various factors explored, results consistently indicated a significant, positive association between youths’ general wellbeing and dimensions of critical consciousness. Additionally, critical motivation was the only dimension of critical consciousness that was significantly associated with self-reported bystander behaviors while witnessing bias-based harassment at school, suggesting that the development of motivation and efficacy to act against injustice may be an important component of intervention programs seeking to reduce bias-based harassment in schools.
These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on critical consciousness among adolescents, as researchers increasingly seek to understand factors that support critical consciousness development, as well as the extent to which critical consciousness promotes action to combat injustice and inequity, particularly among White youth. Findings also have practical implications for school-based efforts to prevent bias-based harassment among youth, in that they indicate a relation between critical motivation (or perceived efficacy in the ability to challenge injustice) and bystander behaviors. / 2025-08-24T00:00:00Z
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/46608 |
| Date | 24 August 2023 |
| Creators | Marsico, Christine Marie |
| Contributors | Holt, Melissa K. |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0015 seconds