EXPLORING CORRELATES OF CRITICAL MOTIVATION AMONG ASIAN IMMIGRANT-ORIGIN ADOLESCENTS IN THE U.S.: INCORPORATING A SOCIOPOLITICAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Andrea Negrete

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Gloria SooYoung Kang
Gloria SooYoung Kang

Gloria is a BA/MA Psychology Student at Wesleyan University. She was born in South Korea and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Her Bachelor’s degree is in Psychology and Education Studies with a minor in East Asian Studies. She is passionate about conducting research for Asian and Asian-American communities and advocating for the undocumented and DACA community. In the fall of 2023, she will be attending Arizona State University’s (ASU) Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program.

Abstract: Sociopolitical development (SPD) theory is a conceptual model that depicts how individuals, especially those who are oppressed, perceive and critically analyze their social environment including social injustices. Yet, there are few studies examining sociopolitical development among Asian immigrant-origin adolescents. The present study focused on factors associated with Asian immigrant-origin adolescents’ critical motivation as it serves as an important precursor for critical action and change in a sociopolitical context. Employing a hierarchical linear regression, this cross-sectional study explored associations between possible correlates of critical motivation in a sample of 302 Asian and Asian-American immigrant adolescents. Findings indicated that anger about social injustice and critical reflection was positively associated with critical motivation. A significant interaction term was also found where youth who knew an undocumented immigrant and also resided in a state with policies granting undocumented immigrants access to one or two services (services necessary for youth) had greater critical motivation. The results of this study inform the literature about the SPD of Asian immigrant-origin youth and suggest the importance of attending to the role of state-level immigration policies in SPD.

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