Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

“I Think I'll Do Good”: Hopeful Future Expectations and Critical Reflection in Oppressed Youth

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/7m01bt832

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  • Critical consciousness (CC) and hopeful future expectations (HFE) are believed to promote positive development in youth who face structural inequalities (Callina et al., 2014; Heberle et al., 2020; Mcwhirter & McWhirter, 2008). Although both CC and HFE hold promise for enhancing the positive development of oppressed youth, gaps in the literature leave unanswered questions about the processes through which these constructs might promote versus inhibit youth thriving. Specifically, despite CC’s promise of liberation and contribution to thriving, progression through the necessary benchmarks (critical reflection, action, and motivation) remains scantily understood and is not guaranteed to result in a thriving young person. Additionally, no literature considers the mutual associations between CC and HFE or the impact personal and contextual factors might have on the aforementioned associations. This study used a mixed-methods approach to examine the associations between CC and HFE and the impact of developmentally related moderators on the aforementioned associations. The study used secondary data collected as part of an evaluation of the Boys Hope Girls Hope (BHGH) Academy programs at six sites around the U.S. In the first (quantitative) strand, I analyzed survey data from a sample of 282 youth of color from low-income households who were members of the BHGH program. In the second (qualitative) strand of analysis, I analyzed interview data from a subset of the sample (n = 61). In line with the life course perspective that frames this study, findings suggest personal and contextual factors do play a role in the associations between CC and HFE. In particular, results raise concerns about promoting CC, specifically its subcomponent, critical reflection, in early adolescence. Additionally, findings suggest a complex relationship between critical reflection and U.S. meritocratic systems such that increased reflection appears to motivate youth toward action that perpetuate systems of inequality rather than actions to dismantle them. Better understanding the associations between critical reflection and hopeful future expectations adds to the growing literature on whether and how promoting critical consciousness skills in adolescent populations is useful. This information is helpful in the design of programs and interventions geared toward increasing critical consciousness in poor youth of color.
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