Josefina Bañales
Biographic Data
| ID | 209250 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Josefina Bañales |
| GIVEN NAMES | Josefina |
| FAMILY NAME | Bañales |
| SIGNATURE | BAÑALES J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Illinois Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0119-3847 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 233 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Cultivating Critical Consciousness in Higher Education
Critical consciousness (CC) is a core dimension of sociopolitical development associated with academic achievement, civic engagement, and resistance to asymmetrical structures of power. Yet the processes through which CC develops among college students—particularly within higher education contexts—remain underexplored in mixed-methods research. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, this study first examines quantitative associatio…
“I feel like a space where we all share our identity would be great”
OBJECTIVES: Using the Roadmap for Centering Latinx Youth Voice in Developmental Science (Bañales, Pinetta, et al., 2023) and Positive Youth Development Model for Girls of Color (Clonan-Roy et al., 2016), we explored how youth participatory action research spaces can be attuned to the sociopolitical, professional, and personal needs of Latina youth researchers. METHOD: , a research collaborative of Latina high school students who engaged in dialog…
Cultivating Critical Action in Children and Youth
Interpersonal and Structural Discrimination, Ethnic‐Racial Identity and Civic Action Among Immigrant‐Origin Youth of Colour in the United States
Marginalised social identities and discrimination based on these identities often shape civic action among immigrant‐origin youth of colour (IYOC). This study examined unique and interactive effects of both interpersonal (ethnic‐racial) and structural discrimination and two dimensions of ethnic‐racial identity (ERI; exploration and commitment) on three types of civic action: conventional political, activism and community service among IYOC. Parti…
Black adolescents' experiences with racial socialization, racial identity, and critical reflection of need for school change of racial inequity
This preliminary investigation explored associations between Black adolescents' experiences with parental racial socialization (racial pride and racial barrier messages), dimensions of racial identity (centrality and private regard), and critical reflection regarding the need for school change of racial inequity. One hundred fifty‐one (78 girls; 73 boys) high school students from the southeastern United States were sampled for this self‐report cr…
Incorporating immigrant optimism into critical consciousness and civic development models
OBJECTIVES: Civic action describes participation in political and prosocial activities aimed at benefiting one's communities. A growing literature rooted in critical consciousness (CC) theory suggests that engaging in critical action, which challenges societal inequities, is important for the positive development of youth of color. Although valuable, existing literatures have yet to consider how psychological processes related to the immigrant ex…
A preliminary investigation of longitudinal associations between ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness among Black and Latinx youth
Results indicate that ERI and CC may be viable entry points into stimulating youths' capacity to challenge racism, although there is promise in activating antiracism action to further stimulate ERI development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Patterns of ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness and associations with science, technology, engineering, and math engagement and perceived barriers
Findings highlight the critical link between ERI and CC as promotive factors for academic engagement for racially minoritized youth in STEM and promote awareness of STEM-related barriers that may be useful to prepare and navigate future STEM challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Social identity development and religious discrimination among Muslim American youth
The present study investigated the development of social identity centrality dimensions (i.e., Muslim, ethnic, and American identity centrality) among Muslim American youth as well as associations between religious discrimination and social identity centrality trajectories. Data were collected once annually from 2015 to 2017 with 220 Muslim American youth ( M = 14.20, SD = 0.94) in the Midwest United States (girls = 53.2%; boys = 42.3%; missing =…
Sociopolitical development
Sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process by which people come to understand structural oppression and develop the capacity to reform and transform society, combat oppression, and achieve liberation. In this article, we honor and recognize the community-based framework building of Dr. Roderick Watts and his colleagues, scholars of African descent who pioneered SPD. First, we describe the history and evolution of SPD as both stage and proces…
Critiquing Inequality in Society and on Campus
Showing Up
Historical and contemporary political events underscore that Latinx people do not necessarily view race and racism in the United States through a shared lens with other Latinx people and other communities of color. Thus, it is critical to understand how Latinx youth develop attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that challenge white supremacy—or anti‐racist identities and behaviors—that actively disrupt racial oppression communities of color face as w…
Engagement Coping Responses to Adolescents’ Negative Racialized Experiences
This study examined thematic patterns of parents' engaged coping messages in response to their adolescents' negative race-based experiences. Ten focus groups were conducted with 73 Black parents from a Southeastern city (73% female). Using modified grounded theory, narratives that supported adolescent engaged coping were coded for three ethnic-racial socialization messages, the perpetrator, and the setting, followed by inductive (open) coding. Th…
Recentering Action in Critical Consciousness
Scholarship on critical consciousness frames how people who are more marginalized deeply analyze, feel empowered to change, and take collective action to redress perceived inequities. These three dimensions correspond to critical reflection, motivation, and action, respectively. In this article, we aim to recenter action in scholarship on critical consciousness, given the disproportionate attention that has been paid to reflection. To achieve thi…
Youth anti‐racism action
The current study examined whether youth perceptions of school racial messages that acknowledged the reality of racism (critical consciousness [CC] messages) or denied racism (color‐blind messages) predicted youth anti‐racism action through interpersonal and communal/political means. We further tested whether youths’ critical reflection of perceived inequality and anger toward social injustice—psychological aspects of CC development—mediated rela…
Raising justice‐minded youth
This research explored the co‐occurrence of youth and parent reports of cultural pride and alertness to racial discrimination messages—forms of parental ethnic‐racial socialization—and youth reports of family sociopolitical discussions and parent civic modeling—forms of parental political socialization—among 591 Black parents and adolescents. We examined whether these messages related to youth critical consciousness, or youth's awareness that mar…
Relating through Oppression
This research explored whether Black male adolescents' (N = 453; M age = 13.72, SD = 1.33) perceptions of parental racial socialization (i.e., behavioral racial socialization) and school racial climate (i.e., equitable school racial climate) were associated with prosocial outcomes (i.e., prosocial behaviors and positive relations with others) across three waves of adolescence. This study also explored whether youth's beliefs about the extent to w…
Something You Can See, Hear, and Feel
This descriptive, exploratory, sequential mixed-methods study investigated youths’ articulations about racism via an open-ended survey question, and the extent to which these articulations differed based on youths’ demographic characteristics. This study included 384 youth who identified as African American ( n = 98), Latinx/o/Hispanic ( n = 74), Asian/Pacific Islander ( n = 52), Multiracial ( n = 38), Native American ( n = 20), and White ( n = 1…
Mapping the Intersections of Adolescents’ Ethnic-Racial Identity and Critical Consciousness
The Development of Ethnic-Racial Identity Process and Its Relation to Civic Beliefs among Latinx and Black American Adolescents
Youth Anti-Racist Engagement
Latinx and Black young adults’ pathways to civic/political engagement
Findings suggest civic/political engagement pathways differ for Latinx and Black young adults. However, fostering critical reflection has the potential to stimulate both groups' intent to vote and sociopolitical action. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Political identification, political ideology, and critical social analysis of inequality among marginalized youth
This study applies multiple indicator and multiple causes modeling to examine to what extent critical social analysis of inequality, a dimension of critical consciousness (CC), may be explained by political party identification (i.e., Republican vs. Democrat) or political ideology (i.e., conservative vs. liberal). These issues were examined among 237 public high school students from a large Midwestern city, who generally came from historically ma…
Black Adolescents’ Critical Reflection Development
This research explored the development of Black adolescents' (N = 454) critical reflection, conceived as individual (i.e., blaming Black people) and structural (i.e., blaming systemic racism) attributions for race achievement gaps. In this longitudinal study, adolescents and their parents reported their individual and structural attributions for race achievement gaps and parents' racial socialization. Adolescents' structural attributions increase…
Sociocultural Influences on the Sociopolitical Development of African American Youth
Sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process by which individuals become aware of social inequality, recognize the status of their social identities, and engage in activism. For racially marginalized youth, race is an important aspect of their SPD. Yet few studies have considered the connections between racial factors and youth's SPD. In this article, we introduce an integrative model situating racial sociocultural processes (i.e., racial iden…
Black Adolescents’ Critical Reflection Development
This research explored the development of Black adolescents' (N = 454) critical reflection, conceived as individual (i.e., blaming Black people) and structural (i.e., blaming systemic racism) attributions for race achievement gaps. In this longitudinal study, adolescents and their parents reported their individual and structural attributions for race achievement gaps and parents' racial socialization. Adolescents' structural attributions increase…
Prosocial Behaviors of Black Adolescent Boys
Sociopolitical development theory asserts that critical social analysis informs prosocial behaviors. We suggest that one aspect of Black adolescents' critical social analysis development is an oppression analysis, in which Black adolescents consider (1) the importance of race to they are, (2) their personal feelings about their racial group, and (3) the experience of oppression for minority groups. The current study examined oppression analysis a…
Black Early Adolescent Critical Reflection of Inequitable Sociopolitical Conditions
In this study, we investigate how Black early adolescents describe the influence of systems and individuals on sociopolitical conditions in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Scholars suggest critical reflection of sociopolitical conditions, an analysis that considers the role of institutional and systemic bias on the social conditions of marginalized groups, promotes long-term civic engagement to address those inequitable conditions.…
Youth anti‐racism action
The current study examined whether youth perceptions of school racial messages that acknowledged the reality of racism (critical consciousness [CC] messages) or denied racism (color‐blind messages) predicted youth anti‐racism action through interpersonal and communal/political means. We further tested whether youths’ critical reflection of perceived inequality and anger toward social injustice—psychological aspects of CC development—mediated rela…
Sociopolitical development
Sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process by which people come to understand structural oppression and develop the capacity to reform and transform society, combat oppression, and achieve liberation. In this article, we honor and recognize the community-based framework building of Dr. Roderick Watts and his colleagues, scholars of African descent who pioneered SPD. First, we describe the history and evolution of SPD as both stage and proces…
Latinx and Black young adults’ pathways to civic/political engagement
Findings suggest civic/political engagement pathways differ for Latinx and Black young adults. However, fostering critical reflection has the potential to stimulate both groups' intent to vote and sociopolitical action. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Critical action as a pathway to social mobility among marginalized youth
Marginalized youth's development occurs in contexts rife with racialized, gendered, and socioeconomic social identity threats and barriers to social mobility. An emergent line of inquiry suggests critical action-a component of critical consciousness, defined as engaging in individual or collective social action to produce social change-may bolster career development for those experiencing marginalization. Yet, the specific mechanisms underlying c…
Political identification, political ideology, and critical social analysis of inequality among marginalized youth
This study applies multiple indicator and multiple causes modeling to examine to what extent critical social analysis of inequality, a dimension of critical consciousness (CC), may be explained by political party identification (i.e., Republican vs. Democrat) or political ideology (i.e., conservative vs. liberal). These issues were examined among 237 public high school students from a large Midwestern city, who generally came from historically ma…
Raising justice‐minded youth
This research explored the co‐occurrence of youth and parent reports of cultural pride and alertness to racial discrimination messages—forms of parental ethnic‐racial socialization—and youth reports of family sociopolitical discussions and parent civic modeling—forms of parental political socialization—among 591 Black parents and adolescents. We examined whether these messages related to youth critical consciousness, or youth's awareness that mar…
The Development of Ethnic-Racial Identity Process and Its Relation to Civic Beliefs among Latinx and Black American Adolescents
Engagement Coping Responses to Adolescents’ Negative Racialized Experiences
This study examined thematic patterns of parents' engaged coping messages in response to their adolescents' negative race-based experiences. Ten focus groups were conducted with 73 Black parents from a Southeastern city (73% female). Using modified grounded theory, narratives that supported adolescent engaged coping were coded for three ethnic-racial socialization messages, the perpetrator, and the setting, followed by inductive (open) coding. Th…
Something You Can See, Hear, and Feel
This descriptive, exploratory, sequential mixed-methods study investigated youths’ articulations about racism via an open-ended survey question, and the extent to which these articulations differed based on youths’ demographic characteristics. This study included 384 youth who identified as African American ( n = 98), Latinx/o/Hispanic ( n = 74), Asian/Pacific Islander ( n = 52), Multiracial ( n = 38), Native American ( n = 20), and White ( n = 1…
Relating through Oppression
This research explored whether Black male adolescents' (N = 453; M age = 13.72, SD = 1.33) perceptions of parental racial socialization (i.e., behavioral racial socialization) and school racial climate (i.e., equitable school racial climate) were associated with prosocial outcomes (i.e., prosocial behaviors and positive relations with others) across three waves of adolescence. This study also explored whether youth's beliefs about the extent to w…
Social identity development and religious discrimination among Muslim American youth
The present study investigated the development of social identity centrality dimensions (i.e., Muslim, ethnic, and American identity centrality) among Muslim American youth as well as associations between religious discrimination and social identity centrality trajectories. Data were collected once annually from 2015 to 2017 with 220 Muslim American youth ( M = 14.20, SD = 0.94) in the Midwest United States (girls = 53.2%; boys = 42.3%; missing =…
Interpersonal and Structural Discrimination, Ethnic‐Racial Identity and Civic Action Among Immigrant‐Origin Youth of Colour in the United States
Marginalised social identities and discrimination based on these identities often shape civic action among immigrant‐origin youth of colour (IYOC). This study examined unique and interactive effects of both interpersonal (ethnic‐racial) and structural discrimination and two dimensions of ethnic‐racial identity (ERI; exploration and commitment) on three types of civic action: conventional political, activism and community service among IYOC. Parti…
A preliminary investigation of longitudinal associations between ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness among Black and Latinx youth
Results indicate that ERI and CC may be viable entry points into stimulating youths' capacity to challenge racism, although there is promise in activating antiracism action to further stimulate ERI development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Prosocial Behaviors of Black Adolescent Boys
Sociopolitical development theory asserts that critical social analysis informs prosocial behaviors. We suggest that one aspect of Black adolescents' critical social analysis development is an oppression analysis, in which Black adolescents consider (1) the importance of race to they are, (2) their personal feelings about their racial group, and (3) the experience of oppression for minority groups. The current study examined oppression analysis a…
Sociocultural Influences on the Sociopolitical Development of African American Youth
Sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process by which individuals become aware of social inequality, recognize the status of their social identities, and engage in activism. For racially marginalized youth, race is an important aspect of their SPD. Yet few studies have considered the connections between racial factors and youth's SPD. In this article, we introduce an integrative model situating racial sociocultural processes (i.e., racial iden…
Black Early Adolescent Critical Reflection of Inequitable Sociopolitical Conditions
In this study, we investigate how Black early adolescents describe the influence of systems and individuals on sociopolitical conditions in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Scholars suggest critical reflection of sociopolitical conditions, an analysis that considers the role of institutional and systemic bias on the social conditions of marginalized groups, promotes long-term civic engagement to address those inequitable conditions.…
Critical action as a pathway to social mobility among marginalized youth
Marginalized youth's development occurs in contexts rife with racialized, gendered, and socioeconomic social identity threats and barriers to social mobility. An emergent line of inquiry suggests critical action-a component of critical consciousness, defined as engaging in individual or collective social action to produce social change-may bolster career development for those experiencing marginalization. Yet, the specific mechanisms underlying c…
Youth Anti-Racist Engagement
Latinx and Black young adults’ pathways to civic/political engagement
Findings suggest civic/political engagement pathways differ for Latinx and Black young adults. However, fostering critical reflection has the potential to stimulate both groups' intent to vote and sociopolitical action. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Political identification, political ideology, and critical social analysis of inequality among marginalized youth
This study applies multiple indicator and multiple causes modeling to examine to what extent critical social analysis of inequality, a dimension of critical consciousness (CC), may be explained by political party identification (i.e., Republican vs. Democrat) or political ideology (i.e., conservative vs. liberal). These issues were examined among 237 public high school students from a large Midwestern city, who generally came from historically ma…
Black Adolescents’ Critical Reflection Development
This research explored the development of Black adolescents' (N = 454) critical reflection, conceived as individual (i.e., blaming Black people) and structural (i.e., blaming systemic racism) attributions for race achievement gaps. In this longitudinal study, adolescents and their parents reported their individual and structural attributions for race achievement gaps and parents' racial socialization. Adolescents' structural attributions increase…
Mapping the Intersections of Adolescents’ Ethnic-Racial Identity and Critical Consciousness
The Development of Ethnic-Racial Identity Process and Its Relation to Civic Beliefs among Latinx and Black American Adolescents
Recentering Action in Critical Consciousness
Scholarship on critical consciousness frames how people who are more marginalized deeply analyze, feel empowered to change, and take collective action to redress perceived inequities. These three dimensions correspond to critical reflection, motivation, and action, respectively. In this article, we aim to recenter action in scholarship on critical consciousness, given the disproportionate attention that has been paid to reflection. To achieve thi…
Youth anti‐racism action
The current study examined whether youth perceptions of school racial messages that acknowledged the reality of racism (critical consciousness [CC] messages) or denied racism (color‐blind messages) predicted youth anti‐racism action through interpersonal and communal/political means. We further tested whether youths’ critical reflection of perceived inequality and anger toward social injustice—psychological aspects of CC development—mediated rela…
Raising justice‐minded youth
This research explored the co‐occurrence of youth and parent reports of cultural pride and alertness to racial discrimination messages—forms of parental ethnic‐racial socialization—and youth reports of family sociopolitical discussions and parent civic modeling—forms of parental political socialization—among 591 Black parents and adolescents. We examined whether these messages related to youth critical consciousness, or youth's awareness that mar…
Relating through Oppression
This research explored whether Black male adolescents' (N = 453; M age = 13.72, SD = 1.33) perceptions of parental racial socialization (i.e., behavioral racial socialization) and school racial climate (i.e., equitable school racial climate) were associated with prosocial outcomes (i.e., prosocial behaviors and positive relations with others) across three waves of adolescence. This study also explored whether youth's beliefs about the extent to w…
Something You Can See, Hear, and Feel
This descriptive, exploratory, sequential mixed-methods study investigated youths’ articulations about racism via an open-ended survey question, and the extent to which these articulations differed based on youths’ demographic characteristics. This study included 384 youth who identified as African American ( n = 98), Latinx/o/Hispanic ( n = 74), Asian/Pacific Islander ( n = 52), Multiracial ( n = 38), Native American ( n = 20), and White ( n = 1…
Critiquing Inequality in Society and on Campus
Showing Up
Historical and contemporary political events underscore that Latinx people do not necessarily view race and racism in the United States through a shared lens with other Latinx people and other communities of color. Thus, it is critical to understand how Latinx youth develop attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that challenge white supremacy—or anti‐racist identities and behaviors—that actively disrupt racial oppression communities of color face as w…
Engagement Coping Responses to Adolescents’ Negative Racialized Experiences
This study examined thematic patterns of parents' engaged coping messages in response to their adolescents' negative race-based experiences. Ten focus groups were conducted with 73 Black parents from a Southeastern city (73% female). Using modified grounded theory, narratives that supported adolescent engaged coping were coded for three ethnic-racial socialization messages, the perpetrator, and the setting, followed by inductive (open) coding. Th…
Sociopolitical development
Sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process by which people come to understand structural oppression and develop the capacity to reform and transform society, combat oppression, and achieve liberation. In this article, we honor and recognize the community-based framework building of Dr. Roderick Watts and his colleagues, scholars of African descent who pioneered SPD. First, we describe the history and evolution of SPD as both stage and proces…
Black adolescents' experiences with racial socialization, racial identity, and critical reflection of need for school change of racial inequity
This preliminary investigation explored associations between Black adolescents' experiences with parental racial socialization (racial pride and racial barrier messages), dimensions of racial identity (centrality and private regard), and critical reflection regarding the need for school change of racial inequity. One hundred fifty‐one (78 girls; 73 boys) high school students from the southeastern United States were sampled for this self‐report cr…
Incorporating immigrant optimism into critical consciousness and civic development models
OBJECTIVES: Civic action describes participation in political and prosocial activities aimed at benefiting one's communities. A growing literature rooted in critical consciousness (CC) theory suggests that engaging in critical action, which challenges societal inequities, is important for the positive development of youth of color. Although valuable, existing literatures have yet to consider how psychological processes related to the immigrant ex…
A preliminary investigation of longitudinal associations between ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness among Black and Latinx youth
Results indicate that ERI and CC may be viable entry points into stimulating youths' capacity to challenge racism, although there is promise in activating antiracism action to further stimulate ERI development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Patterns of ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness and associations with science, technology, engineering, and math engagement and perceived barriers
Findings highlight the critical link between ERI and CC as promotive factors for academic engagement for racially minoritized youth in STEM and promote awareness of STEM-related barriers that may be useful to prepare and navigate future STEM challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Social identity development and religious discrimination among Muslim American youth
The present study investigated the development of social identity centrality dimensions (i.e., Muslim, ethnic, and American identity centrality) among Muslim American youth as well as associations between religious discrimination and social identity centrality trajectories. Data were collected once annually from 2015 to 2017 with 220 Muslim American youth ( M = 14.20, SD = 0.94) in the Midwest United States (girls = 53.2%; boys = 42.3%; missing =…
Interpersonal and Structural Discrimination, Ethnic‐Racial Identity and Civic Action Among Immigrant‐Origin Youth of Colour in the United States
Marginalised social identities and discrimination based on these identities often shape civic action among immigrant‐origin youth of colour (IYOC). This study examined unique and interactive effects of both interpersonal (ethnic‐racial) and structural discrimination and two dimensions of ethnic‐racial identity (ERI; exploration and commitment) on three types of civic action: conventional political, activism and community service among IYOC. Parti…
Psychology (24 works) · Social Psychology (22 works) · Sociology (21 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (17 works) · Youth Development and Social Support (17 works) · Developmental psychology (15 works) · Political science (15 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Ethnic group (10 works) · Gender Studies (10 works)