Abstract:
The purpose of this research was to explore components of rural adolescents’ social
justice and social action (SJSA) worldviews. The research paradigm included influences from
constructivist-interpretivist (e.g., Ponterotto, 2005), critical (e.g., Liu, 2014), and pragmatic (e.g.,
Savin-Baden & Major, 2014) perspectives. Participants in the pilot (n = 10) and main (n = 13)
studies were 9th – 12th grade students attending a rural, Midwestern high school in the United
States. Respondents completed a demographics survey and a semi-structured interview. Three
research questions were investigated: 1. how do rural adolescents understand social justice
principles, 2. how do rural adolescents comprehend inequity in their communities, and 3. how do
rural adolescents understand social action in their communities. Coding team members for the
pilot (n = 6) and main (n = 4) studies analyzed interviewees’ responses relying on thematic
content analysis (Boyatzis, 1999). Then, they reached consensus to finalize codes and themes for
their respective datasets. Results from both studies suggested participants focused on
interpersonal, rather than structural, factors when discussing social justice topics. In addition,
adolescents had mixed responses about inequity in their community. While some respondents
thought conditions were similar across community members, other youth thought some
community members were treated worse (e.g., “Hispanic”) while others were treated better (e.g.,
local business owners). Further, respondents reported their low participation, if any, in social
action. Moreover, organized social action in their locales was not reported. When the
interviewees disclosed the strengths and concerns in their locales, their responses were often
associated with community members’ social relatedness. Clinical (e.g., integrate social action
into therapy or outreach), policy (e.g., support K-12 curriculum which incorporates critical
perspectives on society), and research (e.g., collaborate on action research with rural adolescents
to facilitate SJSA worldview development) implications of the findings are discussed, as are the
limitations of the project.
