Critical psychology in action: Recommendations for the practice of critical psychology

Critical psychology is a movement that is gaining momentum in psychology. Although people define it in various ways, for the purpose of my current research I define critical psychology as a movement that challenges psychology to work towards emancipation and social justice and that opposes the use of psychology to perpetuate oppression and injustice. This thesis project engaged critical psychologists from several different countries in a formative evaluation of the field of critical psychology. The research I have undertaken has conceptual/theoretical and practical components, consistent with a commitment to what Paulo Freire called critical praxis. Critical psychology as a scholarly or intellectual movement has been found to be well underway. However, its translation into action needs to be further developed. The methodology used in this study therefore combines reflection and action by inviting participants to share their thoughts as well as their experiences in critical psychology. Participants were given the choice of responding to a series of questions in essay form or through an Email discussion group. The enthusiastic participation in the Email discussion group and the thoughtful essays received demonstrate the willingness among critical psychologists to share a rich combination of theoretical and practical insights. The results of this thesis, which summarize the thoughts and experiences of the participants worldwide, are condensed into a series of recommendations for action that can be useful in its application to the areas of teaching, research and community work. Suggested examples for teaching psychologycritically involve going beyond the narrow limits of the dominant positivist paradigm to include more diverse ways of knowing. Critical teaching consists of submitting all statements, including the professor\u27s, to critical scrutiny while attempting to build a critical psychology that works for the emancipation of oppressed groups. Critical research in psychology can be attained by using new approaches to research in psychology such as participatory action research, qualitative research or discourse analysis. Doing community-based critical research in psychology requires that researchers engage in a respectful dialogue with research participants to negotiate the parameters of the research project. Community work which is consistent with the values and vision of critical psychology include actively seeking to bridge the gap between the University and the community by involving community members in academic work for social change and being involved as an academic researcher in community work for social change. The example of the Community Psychology program at Wilfrid Laurier University is used to further illustrate how the principles of critical psychology may be applied to the practical domains of teaching, research and community work

Sustainability and Spread of Community-based Initiatives: A case study of Community Cares, a Children’s Hospital’s 16 year effort to serve its community

The sustainability and spread of innovations is often elusive, presenting continuous challenges to clinicians and healthcare leaders. Somewhere between 33 - 70% of all innovations are reportedly not sustained, and even fewer are spread beyond the original team, or to other units within an organization. In plain language, sustainability is defined as locking in progress, while continually building upon that foundation, while spread is the exchange of knowledge and experience to others beyond the original implementing team. The literature supports the concept that sustainability is both multi-dimensional and multi-factorial and has several characteristics and pre-conditions. Tax-exempt, not-for-profit organizations in the USA must provide measurable community benefits to the populations they seek to serve. Many of these community benefits take the form of locating necessary services closer to or directly within the communities being served in order to enhance access. A case study of a 16 year effort to provide a medical home-oriented primary care model to underserved children in Houston, Texas Children’s Pediatrics’ Community Cares, is presented as illustrative of such a community benefit. Many of the characteristics and preconditions essential to a model for sustainability and spread are highlighted and the Community Cares case study is discussed from the standpoint of this framework

Understanding the Impact of of COVID-19 on Minority Groups: Exploring Factors Contributing to Disparities

This research paper explores the multifaceted impact of COVID-19 on minority groups, focusing on two key aspects: vaccination rates and public trust in the government. Through a comprehensive literature review, the vaccination rates within various minority groups are examined, revealing disparities particularly prevalent among African Americans and refugees. Factors contributing to these disparities, including districts in the government, are identified and analyzed. Additionally, the paper investigates the influence of public health policies on political trust both domestically and internationally. By studying different policies implemented during the pandemic, the research aims to assess their effectiveness in fostering public trust and enhancing the overall welfare of the population. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between COVID-19, minority communities, vaccination rates, public trust, and governmental policies, offering valuable insights for future policy-making efforts

How do heritage children acquire Spanish in dual language schools? Charting the acquisition of the subjunctive mood

Despite the growth of dual-language immersion programs in the United States as a method of equitable bilingual education, few studies have examined how children acquire Spanish through immersion (e.g., Herschensohn et al, 2005; Goldin, 2020a, 2020b; Thane, 2023). This project compares English-fluent heritage speakers (HSs) and L2 learners (L2Ls) of Spanish in their productive and receptive knowledge of the subjunctive mood, an area of Spanish grammar prone to variability in bilingual populations (e.g. Giancaspro et al, 2022; Montrul & Perpiñán, 2011; Potowski, 2007). 56 children participated, including 10 HSs in the 4th/5th grades, 8 HSs in the 7th/8th grades, 20 L2Ls in the 4th/5th grades, and 8 L2Ls in the 7th/8th grades. All participants were enrolled in a dual language school in which they received 90% of their academic instruction in Spanish in Kindergarten and first grade, tapering to 50% by the fourth grade (ages 9-10). Participants completed tasks which tested their ability to produce and select the subjunctive mood in sentences such as quiero que estudies ‘I want you to study (subjunctive).’ The results (seen in Figure 1 and supported through binomial logistic regression) reveal that the older participants in the 7th/8th grade group produced and selected the subjunctive more than younger children (β = 1.07, p = .011), and that participants were more likely to select the subjunctive on the receptive task than to produce it (β = 2.25, p \u3c .001). Furthermore, children were particularly likely to produce and select the subjunctive with irregular verbs (β = 0.55, p = .003). However, there were no significant differences between HSs and L2Ls (β = 0.01, p = .973), which does not report an advantage for HSs as in previous studies (e.g., Potowski, 2007). However, when considering the L2Ls’ data only, the effect of age is not significant (β = 0.20, p = .400), suggesting that older HSs experience considerably greater growth than the L2L children. Taken together, these results suggest that dual language immersion successfully promotes HSs’ acquisition and maintenance of Spanish and does not result in attrition during the age range studied, yet there is still considerable variability in these speakers’ production and underlying receptive knowledge of mood despite sustained exposure to Spanish at school. This supports accounts of HL acquisition that posit a dissociation between productive and receptive knowledge (Perez-Cortes et al., 2019) while also exposing considerable underlying variability in these speakers’ mood systems. We discuss potential explanations for why these students acquire the Spanish subjunctive differently from Spanish monolingual children, as well as implications for dual language instruction

Housing Stability, Evictions, and Subsidized Rental Properties: Evidence from Metro Atlanta

Evictions cause substantial harm to lower-income families. The effects range from homelessness to job loss, school turnover, and deteriorating health. Previously evicted tenants can be pushed down-market and forced to accept substandard housing. Housing subsidy might be expected to reduce eviction rates and provide greater stability. However, little systematic research has examined the eviction rates of subsidized, affordable rental properties and compared them to nonsubsidized, market-rate properties. We examine eviction filings for multifamily rental buildings in five-county metropolitan Atlanta, using a data set of eviction filings, property characteristics, and ownership information. We identify the subset of buildings that are subsidized and distinguish between senior and nonsenior properties. We find that senior, subsidized multifamily properties have substantially lower eviction rates than market-rate properties. A senior-subsidized multifamily rental building is expected to have an annual eviction rate that is 10.7 percentage points below a nonsenior, market-rate property; this result is significant p \u3c 0.01, and compares to a mean eviction filing rate of 16.3 percent (16.3 evictions per 100 rental units). On the other hand, a nonsenior-subsidized building is expected to have an eviction rate that is 1.4 percentage points lower than a nonsenior, market-rate building; this result is not statistically significant. It is important to note that we do not have data on the economic characteristics of tenants, and that may account for some of the relatively high eviction rates of the nonsenior-affordable properties. We discuss implications of these findings for further research and housing policy and practice

Extending Mental Health Diagnostic Privileges to Social Workers in Saskatchewan

Bill 78, An Act to amend The Social Workers Act, was passed in 2013 in Saskatchewan, allowing social workers to diagnose mental health disorders. Social workers previously had diagnostic privileges until the Psychologists Act was passed in 2002. The goal of the reform is to reduce wait times to access mental health services and diagnoses. The reform was introduced following extensive lobbying by the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers (SASW) and during a time of increased recognition of mental health issues both provincially and nationally. The reform will be implemented using regulatory instruments through the SASW and its by-laws, however the by-laws – updated to include provisions for Authorized Practice Endorsement, or in other words diagnosis of mental health disorders – have not, to date, been implemented. Accordingly, an evaluation of the reform has also not yet been conducted. Overall this reform is expected to improve access to mental health services, however concerns remain about availability of government funding and programs for treatment and services following diagnosis

Curricular Content of Fifty Second Grade Report Cards in Rural and Urban Oklahoma

Curriculum and Instructio