Critical consciousness represents the analysis and critique of structural inequalities, the motivation and perceived capacity to effect change, and social action to redress inequity. A wave of recent instruments measuring critical consciousness has been rigorously validated. Yet, whether these measures efficiently assess different levels of…

This study aims to develop a standard instrument for measuring mental health among urban adolescents in Indonesia. The objective is to produce valid and reliable school adolescent mental health instruments to be used by agencies or schools to identify students' mental health. The survey was conducted in Jakarta and South Tangerang with a total of…

Children in urban environments tend to have limited exposure to environmental education programs for many reasons. This paper describes the development of a short-session after-school program, created to introduce children in an inner-city school to the concept of urban ecology. In this program, we met with a class of 20 fifth graders once a week…

Objective: To identify subgroups of urban youth based on their self- and teacher-reported mental health symptoms, and to explore characteristics of these subgroups. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 426 eighth-grade students (M[subscript age] = 13.22 years; 70.1% Black/ African American; 58.7% female) across 20 Baltimore City public schools were…

In this paper, six adult allies (comprised of four academic scholars, one in-service teacher, and one community-based teaching artist) reflect on what it meant for them to learn from the wisdom of eight years of intergenerational inquiry led by youth. The authors examine how youth researcher-activists make meaning of their realities within this…

Grounded in the traditions of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and Hip-Hop culture, Cyphers for Justice (CFJ) youth work alongside college students (undergraduate and graduate), professors, and community-based teaching artists to conduct research and present their findings on relevant social issues. As a critical approach that privileges…

Performances of research are moments of encounter -- between audience and performer, between audience and researcher, and in the instance of youth-centered critical participatory action research, between adults and young people. This piece considers the form and metaphor of artistic performances of research to interrogate the social constructions…

The positive development of migrant children in China is hampered due to their unequal accessibility to quality urban education resources. This research aimed at exploring the developmental trajectories of migrant and urban children's literacy and mathematics performance, as well as the impact of family socioeconomic status (SES) and parenting…

Youth-focused environmental programs develop environmental stewardship and related interest in future career pursuits. However, research is limited on how youth perceive the varied skills and capacities needed in environmental careers, which could impact their ability to contribute to environmental work. We describe findings from a…

Since 1999, the Kansas K-12 Initiative has generated almost $21 million from university, school district, private foundations, and federal sources to support the development of multiple STEM programs in Kansas City, Kansas. Program goals were to engage urban minority youth in STEM education, increase college readiness, and provide motivation for…

Despite increasing interest in improving academic outcomes for students by enhancing mindfulness, there is a paucity of evidence that greater mindfulness is associated with success in school. We measured mindfulness with the short-form Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) in over 2,000 urban students in Grades 5-8. The MAAS had good internal…

The purpose of this investigation is to examine heterogeneity and membership with subgroups of cognitive empowerment among youth of color. Within this heterogeneity, this study hopes to identify the relationship each of these subgroups of youth have with conceptually related variables including intrapersonal psychological empowerment,…

A disproportionate number of urban youth attend underresourced and segregated schools. While tenets of the American Dream are inculcated in urban youth, a dearth of educational resources is available to help realize this dream. This qualitative study explored the narratives of urban youth (N = 85), many of whom sought to be the exceptions,…

African Urban Youth Languages (AUYLs) are increasingly coming under the spotlight of linguists and sociolinguists across the continent, who are investigating their relationship to standard and/or vernacular varieties. Simultaneously, they are being discussed by educators and education researchers, although little has yet been published in this…

Background: Youth from low-income, racially and ethnically diverse families are at increased risk for academic challenges and nutritionally inadequate diets. Summer programs offer an opportunity to foster interest and engage students in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) education while addressing summer learning loss.…