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Critical Consciousness Development and Political Participation Among Marginalized Youth
Author(s) -
Diemer Matthew A.,
Li ChengHsien
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01650.x
Subject(s) - psychology , politics , critical consciousness , consciousness , developmental psychology , political consciousness , adolescent development , child development , social psychology , political science , pedagogy , neuroscience , law
Given associations between critical consciousness and positive developmental outcomes, and given racial, socioeconomic, and generational disparities in political participation, this article examined contextual antecedents of critical consciousness (composed of sociopolitical control and social action) and its consequences for 665 marginalized youth’s (ages 15–25) voting behavior. A multiple indicator and multiple causes (MIMIC) model examined racial, ethnic, and age differences in the measurement and means of latent constructs. The structural model suggested that parental and peer sociopolitical support predicts sociopolitical control and social action, which in turn predicts voting behavior, while controlling for civic and political knowledge, race/ethnicity, and age. This illuminates how micro‐level actors foster critical consciousness and how the perceived capacity to effect social change and social action participation may redress voting disparities.