Psychosocial development in racially and ethnically diverse youth: Conceptual and methodological challenges in the 21st century

Abstract

As the US population becomes more diverse in the 21st century, researchers face many conceptual and methodological challenges in working with diverse populations. We discuss these issues for racially and ethnically diverse youth, using Spencer's phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST) as a guiding framework. We present a brief historical background and discuss recurring conceptual flaws in research on diverse youth, presenting PVEST as a corrective to these flaws. We highlight the interaction of race, culture, socioeconomic status, and various contexts of development with identity formation and other salient developmental processes. Challenges in research design and interpretation of data are also covered with regard to both assessment of contexts and developmental processes. We draw upon examples from neighborhood assessments, ethnic identity development, and attachment research to illustrate conceptual and methodological challenges, and we discuss strategies to address these challenges. The policy implications of our analysis are also considered.

‘Moral ecology’ and ‘moral capital’: tools towards a sociology of moral education from a South African ethnography

“…The word ecology originates from the biological study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environment (such as climate or soil structure). A 'social ecology' (Swanson et al, 2003) is concerned with the web of human relationships within their environmental contexts. Such a perspective readily acknowledges that contexts are complex with human actions affected by the environment, which in turn shapes 'the actions of individuals and communities' (p. 23).…”

Character Development among Youth of Color from Low-SES Backgrounds: An Examination of Boy Scouts of America’s ScoutReach Program

“…Furthermore, youth descriptions of relationships with such role models underscores the importance of increasing access to major OST programs for ethnic-minority youth who may experience adversity (Hurd & Sellers, 2013). Actual and ideational relationships with such role models could potentially promote hopeful future expectations, which may be crucial during developmental periods where contextual challenges faced by these youth (e.g., experiences of racism, community violence) increase (Swanson et al, 2003). Through interactions with role models, youth increase their likelihood of receiving positive feedback, which in turn, contributes to long-term hopeful expectations and contributions to one's community .…”

“…The fact that youth in this study mentioned issues of race when discussing how they wanted to change their communities, and in descriptions of their role models, suggests that these issues are at the forefront of their minds. Importantly, given that our participants are predominantly ethnicminority youth from low-SES communities, it is not entirely surprising that race and racism, as well as inter-group relations along racial lines, are prominent topics in their daily lives and discussed without prompting (Swanson et al, 2003).…”

The relationship between internalizing and externalizing symptoms and cultural resilience factors in Indigenous Sami youth from Arctic Norway

“…Several theorists have pointed out that the integration of the unique experiences (i.e., enculturation factors) of minority children into general theories of development (i.e., general resilience factors like self-efficacy) is lacking (8,31). The unique experiences of minority groups may determine how general developmental processes can lead to diverse outcomes (32). The findings from the present study highlight this particular principle: cultural factors should not be studied in isolation; neither should general processes be studied without including culture and context.…”