Critical consciousness: Current status and future directions

• Published in: New directions for child and adolescent development Vol. 2011; no. 134; pp. 43 - 57
• Main Authors: Watts, Roderick J., Diemer, Matthew A., Voight, Adam M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2011; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Action Research; Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Citizen Participation; Consciousness; Critical Thinking; Criticism; Democracy; Disadvantaged Youth; Discourse; Empowerment; Humans; Injustice; Innovation; Learning; Models, Psychological; Political Attitudes; Power (Psychology); Psychology, Adolescent; Reflection; Research Methodology; Service Learning; Social Action; Social Change; Social Conditions; Social Justice; Social Participation; Social Sciences - trends; Social Theories; Teaching Methods; Terminology as Topic; Young people; Youth
• ISSN: 1520-3247; 1534-8687
• DOI: 10.1002/cd.310

In this chapter, the authors consider Paulo Freire's construct of critical consciousness (CC) and why it deserves more attention in research and discourse on youth political and civic development. His approach to education and similar ideas by other scholars of liberation aims to foster a critical analysis of society—and one's status within it—using egalitarian, empowering, and interactive methods. The aim is social change as well as learning, which makes these ideas especially relevant to the structural injustice faced by marginalized youth. From their review of these ideas, the authors derive three core CC components: critical reflection, political efficacy, and critical action. They highlight promising research related to these constructs and innovative applied work including youth action‐research methodology. Their conclusion offers ideas for closing some of the critical gaps in CC theory and research. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.