Abstract
Using consensual qualitative research methods, this qualitative study explored how nine recent graduates, all graduating within the past 7 years from an overtly social justice-oriented school psychology program, were experiencing social justice in practice. Semistructured interviews were conducted covering the following three theme areas: defining social justice, potential application of social justice principles to their practice, and evaluating their graduate training on social justice relative to their experiences as practitioners. Practitioners discussed barriers faced when implementing social justice in practice, and ways training programs can more effectively prepare trainees for advocacy work. The implications of this research include informing school psychology training models for social justice and stimulating the impetus for greater acknowledgment and emphasis on social justice research in school psychology literature.
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This study received no outside funding.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Appendix
Appendix
Interview Protocol.
Defining Social Justice.
1. How do you define social justice?
2. What are your thoughts about how social justice may pertain to school psychology?
3. Has your perspective of social justice changed since you have become a practitioner? If yes, how so?
Social Justice Examples from Practice.
4. Do you have an example from your practice in which you believe you applied social justice principles?
5. Are there obstacles you have faced in applying social justice to your practice?
6. To what extent, if any, have you faced challenges imbuing your practice with social justice? Why?
7. Are there allies that you align yourself with?
Evaluation of Graduate Program Preparation in Social Justice.
8. What are your evaluations of your graduate program’s effectiveness in training for social justice? What were the strengths? Weaknesses? Suggestions for improvement?
9. What haven’t we discussed that is pertinent to applying of social justice to practice?
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Jenkins, K.V., Shriberg, D., Conway, D. et al. Bringing Social Justice Principles to Practice: New Practitioners Speak. Contemp School Psychol 22, 63–76 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0129-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0129-y