Investigates the effect that Social Studies classrooms have on identity development in Black, adolescent girls. The study focuses on 16-year-old girls who racially identify as Black and/or African American. It confirms that there needs to be more specific, in depth research on how classroom experiences influence racial identity development.
This study explores the thoughts and lived experiences of a two groups of black adolescent girls, as they create and enact their class, race, and gender identities, at an urban and suburban high school. The project, a qualitative study using participant observations, and individual and focus group interviews, reconstructed how the participants' gender and racial identities are shaped within their respective educational institutions and how their interactions within their high schools become a part of their identity development. This study contributes to the research literature in that there is limited research that solely focuses on black teenage girls' gender and racial identity construction within educational institutions. When black females have been included in studies it has been in relation to their black male and white female counterparts; and often from white scholars' viewpoints. The results showed that the black female participant's gender and racial identities are affected academically and socially by attending an urban and a suburban public high school. This study gave voice to black adolescent females attending an urban and suburban high school and demonstrated that there is a need for this type of research not only in public schools, but in private educational institutions where black female's voices have been silenced and still continues in the twenty-first century.
Understanding Teenage Girls: Culture, Identity and Schooling focuses on a range of social phenomenon that impact the lives of adolescent females of color. The authors highlight the daily challenges that African-American, Chicana, and Puerto Rican teenage girls face with respect to peer and family influences, media stereotyping, body image, community violence, pregnancy, and education. The authors also emphasize the incredible resiliency that young women possess in countering many of the social barriers confronting them. This work attempts to communicate the often hushed voices of girls of color, for the purpose of understanding their views on life experiences and how they negotiate social and cultural mores. In company with their perspectives are the authors' analyses guided by their years of teaching and mentoring experiences, as well as contemporary research literature from the fields of education, counseling, psychology, nursing, and anthropology. Practical strategies are also offered for those professionals assisting adolescent girls of color in and outside of schools.
A guide to the latest research on how young people can develop positive ethnic-racial identities and strong interracial relations Today’s young people are growing up in an increasingly ethnically and racially diverse society. How do we help them navigate this world productively, given some of the seemingly intractable conflicts we constantly hear about? In Below the Surface, Deborah Rivas-Drake and Adriana Umaña-Taylor explore the latest research in ethnic and racial identity and interracial relations among diverse youth in the United States. Drawing from multiple disciplines, including developmental psychology, social psychology, education, and sociology, the authors demonstrate that young people can have a strong ethnic-racial identity and still view other groups positively, and that in fact, possessing a solid ethnic-racial identity makes it possible to have a more genuine understanding of other groups. During adolescence, teens reexamine, redefine, and consolidate their ethnic-racial identities in the context of family, schools, peers, communities, and the media. The authors explore each of these areas and the ways that ideas of ethnicity and race are implicitly and explicitly taught. They provide convincing evidence that all young people—ethnic majority and minority alike—benefit from engaging in meaningful dialogues about race and ethnicity with caring adults in their lives, which help them build a better perspective about their identity and a foundation for engaging in positive relationships with those who are different from them. Timely and accessible, Below the Surface is an ideal resource for parents, teachers, educators, school administrators, clergy, and all who want to help young people navigate their growth and development successfully.
This book discusses current research on identity formation, family and peer influences, risk and resilience factors, and concepts of masculinity and sexuality in African American boys. Sorting out genuine findings from popular misconceptions and misleading headlines, this concise and wide-ranging reference covers the crucial adolescent years, ages 11-16, acknowledging diversity of background and experience in the group, and differences and similarities with African American girls as well as with other boys. In addition, the authors review strengths-based school and community programs that harness evidence and insights to promote pro-social behavior. Featured areas of coverage include: The protective role of ethnic identity and racial socialization. Family management, cohesion, communication, and well-being. Development and importance of peer relationships. Health and well-being. Theoretical perspectives on educational achievement. Factors that contribute to delinquency and victimization. What works: effective programs and practices. African American Boys is an essential resource for a wide range of clinicians and practitioners – as well as researchers and graduate students – in school and clinical child psychology, prevention and public health, social work, mental health therapy and counseling, family therapy, and criminal justice.
The purpose of this study was to examine African American adolescent females, how their development may be influenced by their cultural values (racial identity development), societal values (skin color preference) and self-concept. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), a demographic questionnaire, and the 30-item Racial Identity Attitude Scale form B (RIAS-B) were administered to 100 African American adolescent females between the ages of 14 and 18 years. An analysis of variance and a multivariate analysis of variance were conducted; the findings in this study suggest that in the population sampled, there is an association between African American adolescent females' scores on skin color satisfaction, the RIAS-B, and self-concept. The participants widely supported internalization attitudes (79%), were satisfied with their skin color (74%), and had high self-concept (74%). Finally, limitations and delimitations to the study are discussed along with implications for counselors.
Focuses on Black women’s experiences and expertise in order to advance educational philosophy and provide practical tools for social justice pedagogy. Black Women and Social Justice Education explores Black women’s experiences and expertise in teaching and learning about justice in a range of formal and informal educational settings. Linking historical accounts with groundbreaking contributions by new and rising leaders in the field, it examines, evaluates, establishes, and reinforces Black women’s commitment to social justice in education at all levels. Authors offer resource guides, personal reflections, bibliographies, and best practices for broad use and reference in communities, schools, universities, and nonprofit organizations. Collectively, their work promises to further enrich social justice education (SJE)—a critical pedagogy that combines intersectionality and human rights perspectives—and to deepen our understanding of the impact of SJE innovations on the humanities, social sciences, higher education, school development, and the broader professional world. This volume expands discussions of academic institutions and the communities they were built to serve. Stephanie Y. Evans is Professor and Chair of African American Studies, Africana Women’s Studies, and History at Clark Atlanta University. Her books include Black Women’s Mental Health: Balancing Strength and Vulnerability (coedited with Kanika Bell and Nsenga K. Burton) and African Americans and Community Engagement in Higher Education: Community Service, Service-Learning, and Community-Based Research (coedited with Colette M. Taylor, Michelle R. Dunlap, and DeMond S. Miller), both also published by SUNY Press. Andrea D. Domingue is Assistant Dean of Students for Diversity and Inclusion at Davidson College. Tania D. Mitchell is Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Minnesota. She is the coeditor (with Krista M. Soria) of Educating for Citizenship and Social Justice: Practices for Community Engagement at Research Universities.
Contributors present a portrait of low-income, urban American adolescent girls based on fact rather than stereotype, aiming to fill the gap in research about adolescent girls. They explore girls' attitudes and alternatives in areas such as identity, family and peer relationships, sexuality, health, and career development, often allowing the girls to speak for themselves. For undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, sociology, economics, and women's studies, as well as policymakers. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
