Living Proof: Transnational Black Youth Theorizing Racism, Justice, and Education

Based on eighteen months of ethnographic research in a high school E.L.L. classroom, this study contributes to the fields of new literacies studies and critical pedagogy by showing how transnational Black youth theorize and negotiate intersections of racism, justice, and education. Drawing on a multidimensional approach for understanding how racism is reproduced and resisted across various domains of power (Collins, 2009), I show on how two young men from Haiti theorize the U.N. and INGO occupation of post-earthquake Haiti; a disjuncture between how Africa and Haiti are (mis)known in the U.S. and students\u27 lived realities in their respective countries of origin; and finally, students\u27 analysis of structural racism in the U.S. through a Justice for Trayvon unit I co-taught from March-May 2012, when Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, and Stand Your Ground became household names. I conclude by suggesting that we move toward a global l.a.w.s. (lessons against white supremacies) framework for critical pedagogy. Such an approach draws on centering counter-narratives and thinking through the notion of de-colonial love to reframe everyday classroom praxis. Throughout this dissertation I argue that culturally informed, antiracist pedagogies must begin with students\u27 theoretical work and experiential knowledge. Such an approach transforms classrooms into spaces for students to not only interrogate racism but also create (counter)texts that represent their subjectivities as young Black people in the 21st century

Commentary: Advancing Our Understanding of Asian American Child Development: History, Context, and Culture as Essential Considerations

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133582/1/cdev12573.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133582/2/cdev12573_am.pd

Physical Discipline and Behavior Problems in African American, European American, and Hispanic Children: Emotional Support as a Moderator

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75424/1/j.1741-3737.2002.00040.x.pd

New Hope for the Working Poor: Effects After Eight Years for Families and Children

Implemented in 1994 in Milwaukee, New Hope provided full-time, low-wage workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. A random assignment study shows positive effects for both adults and children, some of which persisted five years after the program ended

Do Parenting and Family Characteristics Moderate the Relation between Peer Victimization and Antisocial Behavior? A 5‐year Longitudinal Study

Past research has demonstrated that relationships with peers and parents play salient roles in various child outcomes. However, little research has examined the confluence of these two factors in the context of peer victimization. In particular, little is known about which family and parental factors mitigate or intensify the impact of adverse peer relations. The current study bridged this gap by testing whether maternal support and family conflict moderated the association between peer victimization and antisocial behavior. Moderation effects were found for girls but not boys. Cross‐lagged path analyses of nationally representative longitudinal data (N = 1046; 53 percent boys; Time 1: Mage = 10.7) showed that, among girls, higher levels of maternal warmth and mother–child communication significantly attenuated the link between early peer victimization and later antisocial outcomes. By contrast, greater family conflict significantly increased antisocial outcomes among girls who experienced peer victimization. For boys, early peer victimization significantly predicted antisocial outcomes, regardless of parenting and family factors. All findings remained significant even after controlling for preexisting antisocial tendencies and demographic factors, as well as for the stability of victimization in the model.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115896/1/sode12118.pd

The determinants of the performance of dairy smallholders in Malawi

Milk production in Malawi is stagnating although neighbouring countries steadily increase outputs. In this paper, we explored the determinants of the performance of dairy smallholders. As indicators of on-farm performance we used annual milk yield, calving intervals, and annual dairy income. Regression models revealed that milk yield was negatively related with farmer’s age, female farmer, and household size, but positively influenced by farmers’ experience. Calving intervals were strongly associated with labour costs and breeding method. Income from dairying was only associated with farmers’ education but varied strongly with region. Regional effects existed for all performance indicators which may partly be rooted in land scarcity in the south and the efforts of development agencies to promote dairying in the northern and central regions. Results also revealed a tendency for pure breeds to produce higher outputs, but crossbreeds due to lower costs provided better income. Thus, we recommend that experienced farmers become involved in extension programs to provide comprehensive services that help farmers make more efficient use of their scarce assets, and thus realise more of the animals’ genetic potential with regard to the three observed performance indicators

Exposure to Violence and Socioemotional Adjustment in Low‐Income Youth: An Examination of Protective Factors

Using a sample of 391 low‐income youth ages 13–17, this study investigated the potential moderating effects of school climate, participation in extracurricular activities, and positive parent–child relations on associations between exposure to violence (i.e., witnessing violence and violent victimization) and adolescent socioemotional adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). Exposure to violence was related to both internalizing and externalizing problems. High levels of participation in extracurricular activities and positive parent–child relations appeared to function as protective factors, weakening the positive association between exposure to violence and externalizing problems. Contrary to prediction, school climate did not moderate associations between exposure to violence and socioemotional adjustment. Further, none of the hypothesized protective factors moderated the association between exposure to violence and internalizing problems.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117213/1/ajcp9440.pd

Class, culture, and pretend play: A reply to Sutton-Smith and Smith

It is suggested that the early studies which Sutton-Smith cites as additional support for the claim that low-income and working-class children engage in less sociodramatic and pretend play are only tangentially, if at all, related to the issue of pretend play and should, therefore, be discounted in the current dispute. High levels of physical activity are not necessarily indicative of low levels of symbolic activity. Observations in an array of settings may permit us to distinguish between children's "typical" and "best" displays of pretend behavior and determine whether there are social class differences in both symbolic competence and performance. Equally as important as further comparative, descriptive work are theoretically grounded efforts to understand pretend play, as well as other types of imaginative behavior, within the context of the instrumental competences deemed necessary for success in the child's social and cultural milieu.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25270/1/0000713.pd

Marital Processes and Parental Socialization in Families of Color: A Decade Review of Research

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73804/1/j.1741-3737.2000.01070.x.pd

Social class differences in sociodramatic play: A critical review

Studies of children's sociodramatic play as a function of socioeconomic status report conflicting and marginal findings which militate against unqualified generalizations that economically disadvantaged children engage in less and poorer-quality sociodramatic play. Further, definitive conclusions on the basis of these studies are unwarranted because of flawed methodological procedures, confounding variables, and insufficient consideration of how verbal behavior, a critical component of sociodramatic play, is affected by situational variables. It is concluded that data from play intervention studies with low-income children and ethnographic studies of children from non-Western societies are virtually irrelevant to the issue of social class differences. The theoretical significance of social class differences in pretend play in general, and sociodramatic play in particular, even if found consistently, is unclear. In future research, priority should be given to both improved assessment of social class differences and clarification of how these differences relate to competences thought to be consequences of sociodramatic and pretend play.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24037/1/0000286.pd