The Development of Latinx Youth Critical Consciousness in an Afterschool Program: Insights From Latinx Youth Critical Reflection and Critical Action Toward Educational Injustice

Abstract

The number of Latinx youth in after-school programs continues to rise, yet we know little about how urban after-school programs nurture the development of Latinx youth critical consciousness. This study draws on critical ethnographic research to explore the ways in which one after-school program developed low income Latinx youth critical consciousness. Using participatory observational data, this study examined praxis (critical reflection and critical action) between January 2016 and April 2019. The data revealed (a) Latinx youth critically reflected on educational injustice within multiple school settings, practices, and policies and (b) engaged in three types of critical action to challenge oppressive educational practices and policies. This research suggests the after-school program pedagogy and adult facilitator actions nurtured the development of Latinx youth critical consciousness. This study contributes to the out-of-school time youth development scholarship by highlighting the ways after-school programs afford Latinx youth with a transformative context to develop their critical consciousness.