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Cultural Identity As a Resource for Positive Youth Development in Majority World Contexts: a Trinidadian Case Study

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Cultural Identity as a Resource for Positive Youth Development in Majority World Contexts: A Trinidadian Case Study BY Nadia Solange Jessop Submitted to the graduate degree program in Educational Psychology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ____________________________ Chairperson, Dr. David M. Hansen ____________________________ Dr. Meagan Patterson ____________________________ Dr. Bruce Frey ____________________________ Dr. Roy McCree ____________________________ Dr. Dorothy Hines-Datiri Date Defended: 29th June 2017 The Dissertation Committee for Nadia Solange Jessop certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Cultural Identity as a Resource for Positive Youth Development in Majority World Contexts: A Trinidadian Case Study ______________________________ Chairperson, Dr. David M. Hansen Date approved: 29th June 2017 Abstract In multicultural democratic societies, schools need to do more than teach students to pass exams—they must also facilitate students' cultural and civic development (Banks, 2016). The development of a positive identity is a key indicator of positive youth development that facilitates youths' contribution to the cultural and civic development of wider society (Lerner, 2015). However, for youth living in majority world contexts like Trinidad and Tobago, the psychological effects of cultural globalization can complicate the construction of positive cultural identities (Arnett, 2002; Ferguson & Bornstein, 2012; Jensen, 2003). I examined the associations among cultural identity, multicultural attitudes and civic motivation among a sample of 623 Trinidadian adolescents using cluster analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Cultural identity was defined as engagement in global and local cultural practices (cultural orientation) and emotional identification with the national "Trini" culture (Trini culture affirmation). The cluster analysis yielded four clusters of Trini, Americanized, marginalized, and cosmopolitan cultural orientation profiles. Students with cosmopolitan cultural orientations scored highest on Trini culture affirmation, multicultural attitudes and civic motivation in comparison to all other students. Students with Americanized cultural orientations scored lowest on Trini culture affirmation but significantly higher than students with marginalized cultural orientations on multicultural attitudes. Results of mediational SEM path analyses showed that Trini culture affirmation played a mostly protective role and partly mediates the association of cultural orientations with multicultural attitudes and civic motivation. Together these results imply that in addition to a sense of pride, belonging, and affirmation in the local national culture, Trinidadian adolescents' engagement in both global and local cultural practices (not one to the exclusion of the other) can positively impact cultural and civic development. iii Dedication For my father, Alban Jerome Jessop June 23rd 1947 ~ May 14th 2017 iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank my family, my partner, and my close friends for their tremendous support, unconditional love, and words of encouragement throughout this journey. Special thanks go out to my adviser Dr. David Hansen for standing by my side at the most critical junctures even when the road ahead seemed uncertain, and to my mentor Dr. Glenn Adams for inspiring in me the confidence to pursue a research agenda of personal relevance to my own journey as an academic scholar, as well as fostering my development as a reflexive and critically conscious psychologist. I would also like to sincerely thank all the members of my dissertation committee for their guidance in producing this final work, as well as, their flexibility and responsiveness in working together with me. Additionally, I thank the principals and teachers, who graciously let me into their schools and classrooms to collect data for my research, and the students who participated in the research. Finally, many thanks are due to the Graduate Studies Department at KU for partly funding this dissertation research. v Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 4 Positive Youth Development Framework ....................................................................................... 4 Positive youth development in context ....................................................................................... 5 Constructed social worlds of youth. ........................................................................................ 5 Benefits for individuals and society. ....................................................................................... 6 Schools as socialization contexts. ............................................................................................ 7 The case for decolonization. .................................................................................................... 8 Youths' Construction of Positive Social Identities ......................................................................... 9 Single identity models ............................................................................................................... 12 Ethnic identity........................................................................................................................ 12 Racial identity. ....................................................................................................................... 13 National identity. ................................................................................................................... 13 Integrating single identity models. ........................................................................................ 14 Multiple identity models ........................................................................................................... 15 Ethnic identity........................................................................................................................ 15 Racial identity. ....................................................................................................................... 15 National identity. ................................................................................................................... 16 Integrating multiple identity models. ..................................................................................... 17 Cultural identity......................................................................................................................... 17 Cultural globalization and cultural identity development ......................................................... 19 Remote acculturation and Caribbean youth’s cultural identity ................................................. 21 The Trinidadian context for development of cultural identity .................................................. 22 Positioning "Trini" culture in relation to Jamaica and the U.S. ............................................ 22 Research on Trini national identity. ...................................................................................... 23 Definition of cultural identity used in this study ....................................................................... 24 Trini culture affirmation. ....................................................................................................... 24 Cultural orientation. ............................................................................................................... 24 vi Building Healthy Social Relationships Among Diverse Youth .................................................... 25 Multicultural attitudes ............................................................................................................... 26 Fostering Civic Engagement ......................................................................................................... 28 Civic motivation ........................................................................................................................ 29 Present Study ................................................................................................................................ 30 Research questions and hypotheses........................................................................................... 31 Chapter 3: Methods ....................................................................................................................... 32 Research and sampling design .................................................................................................. 32 Organization of the school system......................................................................................... 32 Original sample.....................................................................................................................
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