Abstract
Guest Editors: Reed W. Larson and Bic Ngo
Journal of Adolescent Research
Culture is often a marginalized and difficult topic in discussions of afterschool programs among researchers, funders, policy makers, and practitioners. Research on culture, ethnicity and race in programs is sparse (Fredricks & Simpkins, 2012). In formulating principles of positive youth development, issues of culture often get pushed to the side (National Research Council, 2002). For novice – and even experienced – front-line staff, questions of whether and how to respect youth’s cultural backgrounds can be challenging.
Yet there are so many ways in which issues of culture, ethnicity, and race matter in the daily lives of programs. Culture is important to understanding adolescents’ program experiences – to the meanings they give to program activities, how they relate to program staff, and how they learn. Likewise, the effectiveness of staff often depends on how attuned they are to youth’s backgrounds and how skilled they are in responding to the differing perspectives, values and cultural identities that youth bring to the program. Cultural beliefs and assumptions also permeate program design, are infused into the program by funders and administrations, and influence interactions of programs with parents and the community.
This special issue draws on in-depth research and inquiry aimed at shedding light on the myriad ways in which culture enters into afterschool programs. Papers in the volume critically examine how established “youth development” staff practices can be – or fail to be – responsive to the cultural backgrounds of adolescents; and how hidden cleavages in power and social class in youth-youth and youth-staff relationships can fuel tensions. Using a range of methodological strategies, the studies illuminate how English-only programing, cultural meaning-systems, and youth’s outside lives can shape youth’s experience of activities and spontaneous incidents in programs. The papers do not provide easy answers; in many cases they pose questions or articulate cultural nuances that demand attention. But as a whole, they suggest ways in which programs can be more inclusive, better serve the needs of all youth (especially immigrant and minority adolescents), and engage constructively with culture to facilitate processes of dialogue and youth learning and growth.
The special issue will be of interest to students, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners; also to readers from diverse disciplines including developmental psychology, education, sociology, and anthropology. It contributes new paradigms and critical findings to research on youth development. It also provides frameworks and insights to help programs and staff better support youth’s active cultural socialization.