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Killen M, Yee KM, Ruck MD. Social and Racial Justice as Fundamental Goals for the Field of Human Development. Hum Dev 2021; 65:257-269. [PMID: 35034976 PMCID: PMC8759609 DOI: 10.1159/000519698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Social justice refers to promoting fairness, equality, equity and rights across multiple aspects of society, including economic, educational, and workforce opportunities. A number of scholars across academia have called for a greater incorporation of social and racial justice approaches to the field of human development, and have asserted that social justice constitutes both a theoretical framework as well as a set of hypotheses to investigate and understand the human condition. The emergence, experience, and awareness of social injustice has to be much better understood from a psychological and developmental perspective. Four areas that reflect theoretical changes in human development research are discussed: a) socialization theories about race, b) ethnic/racial identity and development, c) developmental social identity and moral reasoning, and d) lay theories and social essentialism. Childhood is a period of intense change and development; human development research is uniquely positioned to promote change that will contribute to challenging social and racial injustice.
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Children and Youth Environmental Action: The Case of Children and Youth with Disabilities. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13179950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Youth environmental activism is on the rise. Children and youth with disabilities are disproportionally impacted by environmental problems and environmental activism. They also face barriers towards participating in activism, many of which might also apply to their participation in environmental activism. Using a scoping review approach, we investigated the engagement with children and youth with disabilities by (a) academic literature covering youth environmental activism and their groups and (b) youth environmental activism group (Fridays For Future) tweets. We downloaded 5536 abstracts from the 70 databases of EBSCO-HOST and Scopus and 340 Fridays For Future tweets and analyzed the data using directed qualitative content analysis. Of the 5536 abstracts, none covered children and youth with disabilities as environmental activists, the impact of environmental activism or environmental problems such as climate change on children and youth with disabilities. Fourteen indicated that environmental factors ‘caused’ the ‘impairments’ in children and youth with disabilities. One suggested that nature could be beneficial to children and youth with disabilities. The tweets did not mention children and youth with disabilities. Our findings suggest the need for more engagement with children and youth with disabilities in relation to youth environmental activism and environmental challenges.
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Flanagan C, Gallay E, Pykett A, Smallwood M. The Environmental Commons in Urban Communities: The Potential of Place-Based Education. Front Psychol 2019; 10:226. [PMID: 30800090 PMCID: PMC6376067 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The reflections of 205 4-12th graders (most from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds) on what they learned from participating in place-based stewardship education (PBSE) projects in their urban communities were analyzed. All projects involved hands-on collective learning/action by teams of students, teachers, and community partners in the communities where students attended school. Reflections were analyzed using an iterative process of deductive and inductive coding and identifying emergent themes. Deductive coding was informed by the authors' earlier theoretical and empirical studies on the environmental commons (EC) and the key principles outlined in Elinor Ostrom's work on effective group practices for stewarding common pool resources. Reflections were coded for up to 8 discrete references to the two elements of the environmental commons: (1) the natural resources on which life depends (awareness of nature in the urban space; nature's diversity and ecological balance; interdependence of humans with nature; healthy environments and species' well-being; students' environmental identities; and human impact and agency); and (2) collective actions to protect a community's resources (benefits and responsibilities of team work; within-group dynamics and civic skills; collective efficacy; generativity; and identification with the broader community). We found that students articulated, with varying levels of understanding, the two key EC elements. Most referred to positive human impact and one-third mentioned negative human impact. When discussing the community benefitting from their work, a majority mentioned humans; yet nearly half referred to other species or living systems; and a quarter referenced generativity, i.e., the legacy of their work for the future. Concerning the collective orientation of projects: one-third felt collective action was imperative for solving environmental issues, half expressed feelings of collective efficacy, and over one-third referenced their increased attachment and identification with a broader community (school, city, or nature). Core practices in this PBSE model parallel the elements of effective groups identified by Ostrom. We conclude with a discussion of the potential of PBSE projects in urban communities for developing young people's sense of the public realm more broadly and their stake in the natural environment and their communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constance Flanagan
- Department of Civil Society and Community Studies, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Erin Gallay
- School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Alisa Pykett
- School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Morgan Smallwood
- Department of Civil Society and Community Studies, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Bunn A, Downs J, Jeitner C, Pittfield T, Salisbury J, Kosson D. A Methodology to Evaluate Ecological Resources and Risk Using Two Case Studies at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2017; 59:357-372. [PMID: 27904947 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-016-0798-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
An assessment of the potential risks to ecological resources from remediation activities or other perturbations should involve a quantitative evaluation of resources on the remediation site and in the surrounding environment. We developed a risk methodology to rapidly evaluate potential impact on ecological resources for the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southcentral Washington State. We describe the application of the risk evaluation for two case studies to illustrate its applicability. The ecological assessment involves examining previous sources of information for the site, defining different resource levels from 0 to 5. We also developed a risk rating scale from non-discernable to very high. Field assessment is the critical step to determine resource levels or to determine if current conditions are the same as previously evaluated. We provide a rapid assessment method for current ecological conditions that can be compared to previous site-specific data, or that can be used to assess resource value on other sites where ecological information is not generally available. The method is applicable to other Department of Energy's sites, where its development may involve a range of state regulators, resource trustees, Tribes and other stakeholders. Achieving consistency across Department of Energy's sites for valuation of ecological resources on remediation sites will assure Congress and the public that funds and personnel are being deployed appropriately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA.
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
- Rutgers, robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Amoret Bunn
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, USA
| | - Janelle Downs
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, USA
| | - Christian Jeitner
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Taryn Pittfield
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Jennifer Salisbury
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - David Kosson
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
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