Is a Theory of the Problem Sufficient for a Theory of the Solution? Negotiating Tensions among Research, Practice, Advocacy and Activism in Serving Immigrant Communities

The lives of members of immigrant communities are inevitably shaped by U.S. laws, rapidly-shifting immigration policy, institutional policies and practices (e.g., in schools), and how immigrants are welcomed (or not) by members of host communities (Portes & Rumbaut, 2001). These and other aspects of the context of reception have important implications for immigrant integration, education and employment, and mental health. Accordingly, there have been significant calls for psychologists to take active roles in advocacy and activism, which resonates deeply with many of us. Roundtable organizers are community psychologists working with immigrant communities and seeking to negotiate the tensions that can arise at the intersections of research, practice, advocacy and activism. For example: • APA’s Toolkit for Local Advocacy defines advocacy as sharing information within a system with the assumption that the information will help the system respond effectively; activism, on the other hand, is more likely to indict systems perceived as unjust, perhaps from the outside. How does one choose between--or balance--advocacy and activism? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each for trying to solve specific problems in different contexts? • How does one balance social science and research goals that presumably could provide valuable information in working with immigrant communities with advocacy and activism goals? Can we have one without the other, and if so, should we? • If we integrate these roles, do we run the risk of being perceived as less objective on one hand and less invested in communities (or complicit in injustice) on the other? • Is a theory of the problem sufficient for a theory of the solution? Is it possible to move from problems to solutions without the insight and influence that insiders can provide? Participants will share the (imperfect) ways they have balanced research, practice, advocacy and activism in their work

Gathering Diverse Perspectives to Tackle “Wicked Problems”: Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Educational Placement

Among students receiving behavioral health and special education services, racial/ethnic minority students are consistently overrepresented in settings separate from general classrooms. Once separated, many young people struggle to improve academically and face significant difficulty upon trying to return to a general education setting. Given the complex, ongoing, and multifaceted nature of this challenge, racial/ethnic disproportionality can be identified as a “wicked problem,” for which solutions are not easily identified. Here, we describe our community-engaged research efforts, eliciting perspectives from relevant partners in an ongoing dialogue, to better integrate diverse stakeholders’ perspectives when attempting to address such disparities. We conducted focus groups and qualitative interviews with members of three stakeholder groups: community-serving organizations, individuals with lived experience of behavioral health conditions, and state-level policymakers, with a shared interest in addressing racial and ethnic disparities. Participant responses illustrated the “wickedness” of this problem and highlighted the need for additional supports for students, families, and school personnel, increased collaboration across relevant systems and agencies, and reduced barriers related to funding. Overall, this methodology bridged differing perspectives to develop, in concert with our partners, a shared language of the problem and a core set of issues to consider when seeking to effect change

From “Water boiling in a Peruvian town” to "Letting them die”: Culture, community intervention, and the metabolic balance between patience and zeal

The concept of culture has long been central to community psychology research and intervention. The purpose of this paper is to talk about the importance of interrogating the concept of culture for the development, implementation, and evaluation of community interventions. Following a brief discussion of the complexities of culture as a concept, two illustrative stories of failed community interventions are discussed as a means of highlighting the centrality of cultural and contextual understanding as prelude to community intervention. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations which, together, provide an ecological mind-set for taking culture seriously in community interventions. Central to this mind set are the importance of focusing on communities rather than programs and emphasizing the intervention goal of choice over change

Community interventions

Although there is no universal consensus on a specific definition of community intervention, scholars have provided concepts for distinguishing among them and assessing both their nature and intent. Two such prevalent distinctions are those of community-placed versus community-based interventions and those that reflect specific targets versus those that strive for local empowerment of individuals to make choices about how and where to attempt to improve their lives. The community-placed–community-based distinction differentiates interventions placed in the community, such as a storefront clinic or health service, from those based on community concerns and collaborative efforts to alter aspects of the community itself. The targeted–empowerment distinction differentiates interventions targeting a predetermined goal, such as reducing school bullying, from those designed to empower community organizations or groups to develop processes to achieve self-determined goals. Such contrasts reflect false dichotomies in the abstract, yet represent meaningful differences with respect to the power to control and direct the intervention, research design, and decisions about outcome variables. The overarching message of these varied frames is not only to direct attention to the complexity of conceptualizing and conducting community interventions, it is also to emphasize the importance of articulating underlying ways of thinking and directing how such interventions are carried out. In this chapter, we review community interventions in terms of their definitions; principles; applications; methods; research evidence; and accomplishments, limitations, and future directions. In doing so, we embrace an ecological perspective developed over several decades in community psychology that provides a context for understanding and evaluating community interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter

The acculturative environment of schools and the school counselor: Goals and roles that create a supportive context for immigrant adolescents

https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facbooks/1034/thumbnail.jp

Cultural Transitions in First-Generation Immigrants Acculturation of Soviet Jewish Refugee Adolescents and Parents

This article focuses on the process of acculturation for first-generation Soviet Jewish refugee adolescents and their parents who have resettled in the United States. First, the extent of acculturation to the new and the old culture is assessed independently. Second, acculturation is assessed multidimensionally, including the constructs of language competence, behavioral acculturation, and cultural identity. Third, the extent to which life stage differences at immigration affect the acculturation process is assessed. Overall, the data suggest that acculturation appears to occur in a linear pattern over time for most dimensions of acculturation, with acculturation to the American culture increasing and acculturation to the Russian culture decreasing. However, Russian language competence for the parents did not diminish with length of residence in the country. Furthermore, an unexpected acculturative gap was observed between parents and children with respect to Russian identity, with adolescents being more identified with the Russian culture than their parents

Manual classroom enviroment scale

iv, 37 p.; 21 cm