Social Justice Commons^™

Understanding The Effects Of Socioeconomic Variables, Career Motivation, And Msw Education On Practice Preferences: A Quantitative National Survey Of Msw Students, Tina B. Granger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past several decades, there has been much debate over the role of social workers in the mental health field. Factors related to career motivation and practice preferences has had limited research and many have attributed materialistic and self-seeking motives as the reason for a social work career choice. Research has shown that there may be a divergence or ‘mission drift’ from traditional social work values and mission of social justice and social change at the systems level. Identifying factors related to career motivation and practice preferences is important in an ever-evolving field such as social work. This study …

Convening On The Future Of Black Thriving & Joy, Office Of The President, Portland State University, Justice Oregon For Black Lives

Global Diversity and Inclusion Publications and Presentations

This co-creation event aims to be an asset-based intergenerational, inter-ideological, and intercultural opportunity for listening, shared learning, and recognition of points of synergy and opportunity across the rich complexity of the black community in our area -- resulting in a shared agenda and momentum for action.

This affinity/identity based/closed event focuses on the black community and is part of a series of conversations with the different BIPOC communities as stated in the Time to Act plan created as a result of the October 2020 Time to Act summit. As a result of these conversations, Portland State University is seeking to …

The Case For Mandatory Reporting As An Ethical Dilemma For Social Workers, Sam Harrell, Stéphanie Wahab

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mandatory reporting of child abuse is a part of the civil legal system that can activate a policy cascade disproportionately criminalizing racialized and marginalized communities. While social work scholarship has explored ways to increase provider compliance with mandatory reporting laws, there is a dearth of research focused on how social work education guides future providers towards the praxis of mandatory reporting discourses. This article presents findings from a content analysis of social work textbook excerpts focused on mandatory reporting of child abuse in the U.S. We found that textbooks affirm social work’s loyalty to the State by approaching mandatory reporting …

Multicultural And Social Justice Training In Doctoral Counseling Programs: A Phenomenological Study, Alexander Hilert, Natoya Haskins, Shuhui Fan, Charles Smith, Leila Warraich, David Gosling

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Multicultural and social justice are central values of the counseling profession. However, it is unclear how doctoral training advances counselor education students' multicultural and social justice competence and what deficits might exist. The researchers addressed this gap by conducting a phenomenological study of multicultural and social justice training experiences with ten doctoral counselor education students. The researchers identified three themes: limited multicultural integration, methods of compensation, and experiencing growth. The researchers also identified subthemes that explained how doctoral students prepared themselves to be multicultural and social justice competent through self-study, collaborative learning, and role-taking experiences despite often perceiving gaps in …

Revolutionary Critical Pedagogy And Critical Global Citizenship Education: A Conversation With Peter Mclaren, Peter Mclaren, Emiliano Bosio

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This article presents a remarkable conversation on revolutionary critical pedagogy and critical global citizenship education between Peter McLaren, one of the leading scholars of contemporary critical pedagogy, and Emiliano Bosio, guest editor of Citizenship Teaching & Learning. McLaren’s copious work as a distinguished professor in critical studies at the Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies (Chapman University), as co-director and international ambassador for Global Ethics and Social Justice (Paulo Freire Democratic Project), as co-founder of the Instituto McLaren de Pedagogía Crítica, Ensenada, and as Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) offers insights, perspectives, concerns …

Design Is A Social Process: A Survey On Inclusive Practice, Gabriel De Souza Silva

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This inquiry pivots the discussion on design practice toward process, and seeks to elucidate how inclusivity is achieved in it, and by what means it is maintained. The design process is interrogated through a series of case studies on contemporary practitioners that either describe themselves or are recognized by the wider design community as inclusive of gender, race, sexual orientation, ability level, and are sensitive to history of place. The case studies are selected to demonstrate a diversity of project types, management structures, and design tools, and they comprise the practices of LA Más, Assemble, and Bryony Roberts. The product …

Tiktok As A Digital Activism Space: Social Justice Under Algorithmic Control, Brittany Haslem

Institute for the Humanities Theses

TikTok, a video sharing application, has become the center of viral internet culture. The app has risen in popularity so quickly that scholarly literature investigating its vast societal impact is still nascent. TikTok is not only used to discuss popular culture topics and create trends, but also being utilized as a tool for social justice activism in the United States in the wake of a tumultuous year with major events such as the coronavirus pandemic, a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the 2020 presidential election. TikTok activism is not without critiques, ranging from concerns of foreign government …

Exploring The Expansive Properties Of Interpretive Description: An Invitation To Anti-Oppressive Researchers, Mia Ocean, Rose Montgomery, Zoe Jamison, Karon Hicks, Sally Thorne

Social Work (Graduate) Faculty Publications

There is an ever-present need to challenge, create, and expand upon qualitative research approaches in the applied and practice disciplines to avoid repeating mistakes of the past and to realize a research agenda for socially just practice. Toward these goals, anti-oppressive researchers engage with a variety of methodologies to co-produce accounts that reflect a comprehensive understanding of social problems with the people who experience them and to enact solutions for real world change. In this article, we reflect on the manner in which Interpretive Description may be a useful option for anti-oppressive researchers to consider as a methodological approach in …

Crime Pays: How Black Americans Became Central To The Carceral State, Will Brooks

Honors Theses

Over the course of American history, Black Americans have been intentionally criminalized at moments of ostensible social progress. This legacy of intentional criminalization of minority communities has both created the perception that African Americans are innately criminal and given rise to a prison-industrial complex that now depends on Black bodies. Now, predictive policing technology reinforces perceptions of Black criminality necessary for the justification of the carceral state and the survival and expansion of the prison-industrial complex.

Equity + Catalyst Framework Guide, Naomi M. Silas

Masters Projects

There has been a shift in society, in light of Covid-19 and the global pandemic, more people have begun to recognize the structural and institutional injustices that exist in this country. Social innovation allows collaboration between people from different sectors, disciplines, industries, and backgrounds; in order to create sustainable change to complex social issues. Design thinking is an iterative process used in business to create innovation and products; it’s also used for social impact.

The goal of the Equity + Catalyst Framework is to bridge concepts that include design thinking, and embodiment, as well as lived experiences and community care …

Exploring The Educational Impact Of Academic Field Trips Over Time, Tara Parrello, Colby L. Valentine

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Experiential learning can be in the form of internships, field trips, service learning, and research projects. The practical nature of criminal justice is a logical fit for experience-based learning. Specifically, academic field trips may be viewed as examples of short-term experiential education. However, do experiential learning trips have an academic impact over time? Using survey data, the current study examines if students acquire and retain knowledge after a prison tour of Eastern State Penitentiary. Pre- and post-tour surveys of student learning outcomes showed a statistically significant gain between the pre- and post-tour survey results. A follow-up survey explored if students …

Redefining “Comprehensive” Sexual Education: A Pedagogy Of Empowerment And Social Justice For K-12 Sex Education, Nina June Lee

Community Engagement Student Work

In the United States currently, there are significant gaps in sex education. Youth in the United States today are identifying more diversely in the past and many are not receiving the comprehensive sex education they deserve, creating negative sexual and social outcomes. Through examining the legacy of religiosity, white supremacy, power, and privilege in the United States, one can pinpoint how historical legacies still influence the sex education youth receive today. In conversations with research and theory, a solution to this issue may lie in creating applicable tools that allow educators to better accommodate the needs of youth they are …

Occupational Rights Workshops: Critical Reflection, Discussion, And Collaboration With Occupational Therapists, Michelle Arakaki

Student Capstone Papers

In the summer of 2020, occupational therapy organizations condemned systemic racism and called on the profession to improve its’ practices in promoting justice and enhancing efforts in increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020; World Federation of Occupational Therapists). Since then, there have been formations of DEI committees, opportunities for continuing education in justice and antiracist practice, and more discussion in the literature on how therapists could support the occupational rights of their clients. Occupational rights are “the right of all people to engage in occupations that contribute positively to their well-being and the well-being of …

Small And Rural Libraries Have Persevered Amid Challenges, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

When the Public Library Association holds its 2022 conference in Portland March 23-25, those overseeing the event will include Stephanie Chase, an association board member and the executive director of the Libraries of Eastern Oregon.

About one-third of libraries in eastern Oregon are staffed with just one person. Still, Chase’s organization, a consortium of 15 rural county libraries, offers access to a bigger collection of materials than people living in the sparsely populated region could previously have dreamed of, including the 66,000 ebooks and audiobooks accessible on a smartphone through OverDrive’s Libby app.

As Librarians Convene Here, Multnomah County Library Showcases Work In Equity And Inclusion, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

As more than 3,300 U.S. librarians flock to Portland for the Public Library Association conference March 23-25, they’ll witness up close Multnomah County Library’s groundbreaking work in diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice. The pandemic, and social justice work after the 2020 protests, have permanently influenced how the library delivers services.

Introduction: Into The Academy, Maika Yeigh

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Maika Yeigh, Co-editor of Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, introduces this special issue, Into the Academy, to put into practice the aims and scope of the journal, by “amplifying previously silenced and emerging voices, first-time authors, and those for whom the publication process has felt burdensome or laden with barriers.” Putting those aims into practice, the editorial board encouraged manuscripts with first-authorship belonging to new and emerging scholars, and the Board is thrilled and honored to present their work in this issue.

Reflections On Contemporary Challenges And Possibilities For Democracy And Education, Michael W. Apple, Gert Biesta, Henry A. Giroux, Amanda Heffernan, Peter Mclaren, Stewart Riddle, Anna Yeatman

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This paper is one of two which bring together leading educational researchers to consider some of the key challenges facing democracy and education during the twenty-first century, including rising social and economic inequality, political instability, and the existential threats of global pandemics and climate change. In this paper, key educational scholar–activists respond to the challenges and possibilities for democracy and education, with consideration of the importance of reimagining education as being for democracy. The questions asked in this paper have particular salience for educational leaders, who must be at the centre of any commitment to democratic education.

“Solidarity: A Catholic Perspective” Chapter 10 From A Vision Of Justice: Engaging Catholic Social Teaching On The College Campus, Fr. Peter Ignatius Gichure, Ron Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

In memory of Fr. Peter Ignatius Gichure, we reprint this essay co-authored by Fr. Gichure and Ron Pagnucco, co-editor of the JSE. Fr. Gichure was working on an essay on Fratelli Tutti for the JSE when he died.

"Solidarity: A Catholic Perspective." Ron Pagnucco and Peter Gichure. Chapter 10, in A Vision of Justice: Engaging Catholic Social Teaching on the College Campus. Susan Crawford Sullivan and Ron Pagnucco, eds. Published in 2014 by Liturgical Press, Collegeville Minnesota, and in Kenya by Catholic University of Eastern Africa-Gaba Press, Eldoret, Kenya.

Sticky Situations: Understanding The Law And Life, Krystal Banks

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Law and life go hand in hand. Understanding the law and how it connects to life can be an effective tool in teaching youth and adults the value of making good decisions when it comes to life and the law. Sticky Situations places real-world situations in the context of learning how to apply the law and effectively respond to life's sticky situations.

Hygiene, Storage, And Waste Management For The Unsheltered Community: Gaps & Opportunities Analysis, Jacen Greene, Todd Ferry, Lisa Hawash, Marisa Zapata, Nicholas M. Puczkowskyj

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This study, completed in early February 2022, included focus groups and interviews with 18 government employees and service providers, interviews with 19 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, a review of research literature and news articles on the topic, and previous surveys and research from Portland State University to better understand gaps and opportunities in providing hygiene, storage and waste management to people living unsheltered.

Transformative Vocabulary: Fusing Vocabulary Instruction With Citizenship Education, Thomas Broderick

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

This action research sought ways to maximize secondary social studies teachers’ instructional time and merge their core functions as literacy, content and social-justice instructors. Drawing on a wide literature demonstrating potent correlation between requisite vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension, this action research investigated the potential interface between explicit literacy instruction, particularly robust vocabulary instruction, and democratic citizenship, while keeping in mind the intent of the Common Core Standards. In other words: is it possible to fuse robust vocabulary instruction to achieve transformative citizenship? Data collection included multiple in-person and digital interviews with veteran K-12 teachers, administrators and university professors about …

From Abortion Rights To Reproductive Justice: A Call To Action, Erica Goldblatt Hyatt, Judith L.M. Mccoyd, Mery Diaz

Publications and Research

As aggressive cultural and legislative attacks on abortion rights and access continue, we call upon social workers to pursue the liberatory aims of the reproductive justice (RJ) movement. We argue that the RJ framework, rooted in feminist theory, aligns with social work’s social justice ethos and goals, appropriately guiding advocacy and intervention. After outlining the central aims and tenets of the RJ movement, we consider policies that impair RJ and those that could promote RJ, focusing on enhancing body sovereignty, childbearing, and parenting. We conclude with concrete recommendations for how social workers can pursue RJ professionally and personally.

A Pilot Study On Counselor Trainees’ Social Justice Identity Development And Effective Pedagogy In A Multicultural Counseling Course, Shelby Messerschmitt-Coen, Gayle Garcia, Colette T. Dollarhide, Damon Drew

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Abstract: This pilot study examined social justice identity development for first- and second-year clinical and school counseling master’s students enrolled in a one-semester multicultural and social justice counseling (MCSJC) course. Counselor educators can incorporate social justice pedagogy in their courses to better equip counselors-in-training with the knowledge and skills necessary to act (Odegard & Vereen, 2010), which can foster the development of their social justice identities (Miller et al., 2009). Students enrolled in the MCSJC course reported their social justice identity at the beginning and end of the semester to determine identity development over time. In addition, pedagogical strategies were …

Democratic Belonging As Informed Citizenry - Empowering Faculty To Empower Learners Via Information Literacy, Anna Santucci, Amanda K. Izenstark, Mary C. Macdonald

Public Services Faculty Presentations

Presentation at the AAC&U 2022 Annual Meeting as a Pre-Meeting Workshop.

Responsible citizens need the agility to navigate a changing information landscape. Intentionally designing learning experiences that integrate accessible Information Literacy (IL) skills for all students is a crucial step towards educational justice, a paramount responsibility in the democratic mission of our institutions. With this goal, the University of Rhode Island’s Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning has partnered with instruction librarians since 2018 in developing and facilitating a High Impact Teaching Seminar for faculty. Participants will learn about the seminar’s theoretical framework, impact and structure, engage in …

Dismantling The Education-Survival Complex: A Qualitative Case Study Of How High School Youth Resist Whitestream School Policies And Foster School Change Through A Youth-Development Organization, Tracie Trinidad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to critically examine how youth resist whitestream school policies and foster educational change through community sociopolitical youth-development organizations. The methodology for this study is a qualitative case study (Fraenkel & Wallen, 1990; Merriam, 1988), as I am focused on participant perceptions and experiences, and how they make sense of their resistance experience through participation in sociopolitical youth development organizations like Youth for Social and Political Activism (YSPA). In total, eight participants spoke about their racial identity through their lived experiences in public school and YSPA programming.

The data and analysis are presented in the …

Seeking Clarity In Murky Waters: Nuances Of Equity And Social Justice From A Teacher Perspective, Elaine J. Chan

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this study, I examined interactions between an English teacher and her students to illustrate ways in which issues of equity and social justice may play out in nuanced ways in the implementation of school curriculum in a diverse, Midwestern high school. These stories of classroom teacher and student experiences reveal complexities of how equity and social justice might unfold for students, and be understood by a teacher as she works with her students, to build a body of “teacher knowledge” (Clandinin and Connelly, 1996) that grows as the teacher gains experience. Examining complexities of “teacher knowledge” as a classroom …

"Comic"Ally Calling For Cultural Competency: Using Graphic Narratives To Teach Social Justice In The Writing Classroom, Travis Moody

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Finding A Voice: Overcoming Shame Through A Classroom Collective Exploration Of Vulnerability, Mary Catherine Lockmiller, Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In keeping with the call for greater justice and diversity within the occupational therapy profession, many educational programs are taking steps to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across their curriculum. In this paper, we will introduce the theoretical concepts underpinning the first assignment in a DEI curriculum thread in one entry-level occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) program, grounding it in critical pedagogy and exploring how it provides a first step to critical aptitude by providing space for an open-ended, reflexive dialogue about subjective experiences of internalized shame and marginalization. Students learn how to practice self awareness, understand shame culture, and …

Investigating Discussion Forum Impact On Students’ Social Justice Beliefs In Online Undergraduate Mathematics Courses: A Mixed Methods Study, Ashlee Lynn Akin Matney

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

While teaching math for social justice and equity has become a heavily researched topic in recent decades with Jo Boaler (2008, 2015, 2016), Rochelle Gutiérrez (2009, 2013), and Eric (Rico) Gutstein (2003, 2006, 2007, 2013) emerging as recent leaders in the charge, the focus has consistently remained on traditional classroom teaching (e.g. Boaler, 2008; Gutiérrez, 2009; Gutstein, 2003). This convergent design mixed methods study investigated the impact of teaching math for social justice in the online learning environment, specifically, the impact of discussion forums on students’ social justice beliefs in fully online undergraduate math courses.

Quantitatively, 56 students completed pre- …

Justice Through Practice: Inquiry On The Development Of Preservice Teachers’ Teaching For Social Justice, Bethany Silva, Elyse L. Hambacher, Ruth Wharton-Mcdonald

Journal of Practitioner Research

This article reports on a collaboration among three teacher educators to facilitate pre-service teacher (PST)s’ equity literacy through a social-justice themed afterschool program for elementary-aged children that was embedded in PSTs’ coursework. The teacher educators engaged in practitioner inquiry (e.g., Anderson, Herr, & Nihlen, 2007; Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009), posing the question, “What happens when preservice teachers use justice-oriented children’s literature to facilitate discussions about inequity with young children?” We used inductive analysis (Miles, Huberman, & Saldaña, 2014) to observe themes across 17 PSTs’ written and videotaped reflections, collected over two semesters. Reflections pointed to a fear of the unknown …