This qualitative case study is an examination of factors that contributed to identity changes among new immigrants to the United States by examining the stories of participants who initiated the search for a solution, engaged stakeholders including a federal agency, and achieved a uniquely successful outcome through an environmental sustainability pilot program. Through a revelatory case approach, this study expands upon the limited victimization paradigm of environmental justice. The scope of this examination includes research into the history of environmental justice; the concept of environmental identity, and the ways in which people tell and retell stories to make sense of their changing worlds. Using thematic analysis to evaluate the data, three distinct themes emerged: (a) greater salience of the environment in one’s identity; (b) ownership and empowerment regarding the environment, and (c) problem-solving and innovation. Factors that shaped participants’ experiences included the opportunity to give back to a country that has been a safe haven for many of these community members: engaging and demanding that a government agency as a partner execute its legal responsibilities with and for them, and seeing the opportunity that living in America presents to make a positive impact. Recommendations in the final chapter expand upon the discourse related to environmental justice by exploring how themes that emerged from one immigrant community’s success in addressing an environmental problem can enhance environmental justice scholarship. / Educational Psychology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/1624 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Kim, Lena Adams |
| Contributors | Hindman, Annemarie H., Schifter, Catherine, DuCette, Joseph P., Fergus, Edward, 1974- |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 158 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/1606, Theses and Dissertations |
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