Abstract
Given the benefits of critical consciousness (CC), it is important to consider what environmental levers may promote it. Higher-quality education experiences have served as key contextual supports for marginalized youth. Notably, investment in the quality of education for preschoolers has one of the highest rates of return for society compared with interventions that take place later in life, particularly for Black and Latino youth from under-resourced backgrounds. Classroom quality during preschool (ages 3–5) may promote prosocial behavior and cognitive self-regulation in middle childhood (ages 6–12); in turn, these competencies may help facilitate CC during adolescence (ages 13–17). This literature review found theoretical and empirical support to expand developmental models on CC with preschool classroom quality. The article concludes with a discussion on how preschool classrooms operating as democratic contexts could have long-term implications for CC in adolescence, as well as how assessments of preschool classroom quality could be extended to include measures relevant to CC. Future studies could build on this review to continue expanding the quickly growing literature on CC.
Suggested Reviewers
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Recommended Citation
Naqi-Hasnain, Zahra; Li-Grining, Christine Pajunar; Radulescu, Maria; and Gallivan, McKenzie
(2024)
"Preschool Classroom Quality and Critical Consciousness Among Black and Latino Under-Resourced Youth,"
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal: Vol. 70:
Iss.
2, Article 9.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/mpq/vol70/iss2/9
