Robert Jagers | University of Illinois at Chicago (original) (raw)

Papers by Robert Jagers

Journal of Negro Education, 2001

PubMed, Feb 1, 1999

This article outlines an integrative, dynamic approach to stress and is, in part, a response to e... more This article outlines an integrative, dynamic approach to stress and is, in part, a response to emergent debates within social science research and practice that suggest that African Americans are currently experiencing the reverberating psychological effects of slavery and oppression. It is the product of the work of an African-American mental health think tank situated at the Community Mental Health Council, Chicago, Illinois. We suggest the need to attend to biopsychosocial, environmental, and cultural factors that inform both exposure and responses to stress. Finally, consideration is given to matters of resiliency.

Routledge eBooks, Oct 24, 2018

Cambridge University Press eBooks, Feb 24, 2003

Educational Researcher, Jun 1, 1991

Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Nov 25, 2021

Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have traditionally evaded or been silent on issues o... more Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have traditionally evaded or been silent on issues of (in)equity and, thus, critiqued for their lack of attention to how social injustices create different outcomes for different groups (The Education Trust, 2020). Furthermore, these efforts have been criticized for placing the burden on individual youth to navigate challenges to SEL without recognizing the influence of systems. Transformative SEL offers an alternative approach that centers the integration of an explicit equity and social justice lens into the conceptualization and implementation of SEL (Jagers, Rivas-Drake, & Williams, 2019). Notwithstanding its usefulness as a conceptual framework, mechanisms for “how” a transformative SEL approach may occur have not been well-specified. We recognize that historically, the curricular materials available to SEL educators often take a conformist approach focused on skill-building, coping, and even resilience absent attention to broader social injustices (Jagers, 2016), further burdening teachers with having to redesign curricula to incorporate their commitments into a culturally responsive, justice-oriented pedagogy. We offer stretching as a conceptual category that aims to capture the ways in which educators adapt SEL frameworks and school policies, student–educator relationships, curricula, and instructional practices in order to critically consider and responsibly address their students' experiences of injustice. We argue that stretching of SEL practice is a critical mechanism for conceptualizing how teachers go beyond traditionally equity–evasive notions of SEL to more proactively engage equity issues in their SEL implementation. We will use examples of teaching practice to illustrate and define what constitutes stretching in SEL instruction.

Applied Developmental Science, 2021

In this paper Dr. Nkemka Anyiwo shares results from the Our Voices project with Black youth. The ... more In this paper Dr. Nkemka Anyiwo shares results from the Our Voices project with Black youth. The goal of that project was to promote the sociopolitical development (SPD) of the young participants by honing their skills in critiquing media images. Critical media literacy seems to be a manifestation of critical pedagogy, a notion that many have traced back to the work of Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire (Friere, 2000; McLaren & Leonard, 1993). Critical pedagogy has informed the work of a range of stakeholders interested in the promotion of educational experiences that advance freedom and social justice. Drawing attention to social justice in developmental science is the intent of this special issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Science, edited by Drs. Velma McBride Murray and Riana Anderson. This particular paper is a perfect fit for the special issue insofar as Our Voices encourages youth to be aware of, critique, and object to the unjust and false images and stories about Black people promulgated in the media. Since the 1950s mass media has become a more prominent part of the lived experiences of US residents. Media consumption has increased substantially over the past 10 years and is an especially important aspect of the lives of young people. This includes increases in cell phone use, online and video game activity, watching television and listening to music (Prot et al., 2015). When one considers the all-encompassing nature of mass media and the reification of the extant power structures it promotes, the propaganda function of mass media becomes clear, as Herman and Chomsky (1988) argued in Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media. For this reason, critical media literacy would seem to be an imperative for participatory democracy and a more just society. As Kellner and Share (2007) assert, critical media literacy offers the potential to facilitate critical analysis of the various forms of mass communication in terms of the relationships among media, audiences and power. This elevates the importance of the type of initiative undertaken by the author of this manuscript. However, it is important to note in the context of this commentary that, while the raced and gendered stereotypes that the author seeks to critique and disrupt do help define present day life, they also precede these more recent insights into the socializing functions that media can play. Negative characterizations of Native Americans, Africans and other people of color (and positive images of Whites and men) were and are integral to the founding and development of the US. By intent, such images were ubiquitous in all areas of societal functioning—the arts, religion, education and the sciences—so that they would become internalized and enacted at the individual, interpersonal and institutional levels. Contesting the “just world” or “system justification” beliefs (Jost et al., 2004) promulgated in the media is the first step in Dr. Anyiwo’s intervention. In light of the propaganda function and the omnipresence of false narratives in the media, the default for most people is to believe what we’re told. Even if we question the veracity of the narrative, fighting against it requires considerable cognitive and emotional effort, especially if the narrative seems to be widely accepted. Furthermore, if the dominant narrative is the main or only one we’ve heard, an alternative may not occur to us. We tend not to challenge the system because the norm is to accept the status quo, to believe that the way things are is the way they have to be. According to system justification theory, it may be even more challenging for those oppressed by the system to challenge it. For example, in a study of adolescents’ attributions for inequality, youth from better

APA handbook of community psychology: Methods for community research and action for diverse groups and issues., 2017

American Journal of Community Psychology, 2003

This paper examines theories and concepts relevant to sociopolitical development (SPD). As an eme... more This paper examines theories and concepts relevant to sociopolitical development (SPD). As an emerging theory, SPD expands on empowerment and similar ideas related to social change and activism in community psychology-oppression, liberation, critical consciousness, and culture among them. SPD is the process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, analytical skills, emotional faculties, and the capacity for action in political and social systems necessary to interpret and resist oppression. Equally as important is a vision of liberation that is an alternative to oppressive conditions. All of these concepts have been underemphasized in the social change literature of U.S. community psychology. In our view, sociopolitical development is vital to human development and the creation of a just society. As part of identifying and illustrating concepts and processes relevant to SPD theory, we will draw from the words of young African American activists who were interviewed as part of a research study.

Journal of Black Studies, 1997

In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in expressions of cultural integrity among ... more In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in expressions of cultural integrity among African Americans. Many more recent efforts have argued that such expressions of integrity are rooted in an African cultural legacy and that these Afrocultural expressions continue to help shape the contours and textures of the African American experience (e.g., Boykin, 1983, 1986; Nobles, 1991; Stuckey, 1987; Thompson, 1983). Among expressions thought to be embodied in this cultural legacy are the following: spirituality, which suggests a focus on the vitalistic, shared essence of all things; the oral tradition, which places a premium on the spoken word; rhythmic-movement expressiveness; and communalism, which highlights the social interdependence of people (e.g., Boykin, 1983, 1986; Dixon, 1976; Jones, 1991; Nobles, 1974, 1991). Although postulated, there have been few systematic efforts within the psychological literature to document the coherency and

Educational Researcher, 1991

Contemporary Sociology, 1990

Journal of Adolescent Research, Dec 14, 2021

For many Black boys, poor academic performance and high rates of school discipline are often rela... more For many Black boys, poor academic performance and high rates of school discipline are often related to biases in how they are perceived and treated at school. These biases oftentimes misalign with how Black boys view themselves and how family members perceive them at home. Few studies examine how different stakeholders’ perceptions of Black boys manifest and shape the middle school experience. The current study employed an embedded case study design, using data from eight semi-structured interviews to explore incongruence among student, teacher, and parent perceptions of two middle school Black boys’ academic and social experiences. Findings showed greater congruence between the boys’ experiences and their parents’ perceptions of them compared to their teachers’ perceptions of them. Of note were teachers’ inaccurate reports of the boys’ career aspirations and academic interests and abilities. Implications of these patterns and their impact on Black boys’ experiences in school are discussed.

Journal of Community Psychology, Jun 1, 2021

The current study examined patterns of Black adolescent boys' socioemotional competence (SEC)... more The current study examined patterns of Black adolescent boys' socioemotional competence (SEC) in the midst of racial (in)congruence of their neighborhood and school contexts and the associations of these patterns with self‐ and teacher‐reported social adjustment. Data collected from 417 Black adolescent boys in 7th–11th grade were analyzed using a multilevel class analysis to derive student‐level classes of SEC and neighborhood racial composition and school‐level classes of school racial composition. Class associations with social adjustment were examined via analysis of variance and analysis of covariance among a subsample of 258 Black males. Four patterns of SEC‐neighborhood racial composition and two patterns of school racial composition were identified; the former were associated with self‐ and teacher‐reported social adjustment. Interactive patterns of SEC‐neighborhood racial composition classes and school racial composition classes were associated with teachers' reports of negative social adjustment. Study findings suggest that considering SEC within racialized contexts is important for understanding Black adolescent boys' adjustment.

Human Development, 2016

This essay offers a cursory analysis of the potential of social and emotional learning (SEL) to f... more This essay offers a cursory analysis of the potential of social and emotional learning (SEL) to foster optimal growth among African-American youth. Over the past two decades, the field of SEL has come to encompass a range of programs and practices that promote core social and emotional competencies (e.g., self-awareness, selfmanagement, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) in schools and communities to support desired developmental outcomes [Durlak, Domitrovich, Weissberg, & Gullotta, 2015]. The field has appropriately garnered interest from a variety of stakeholders who share a commitment to improving such outcomes for children and youth from diverse backgrounds. Given the statuses and strivings of African-American youth, it is essential to interrogate more deeply whether and in what ways SEL can be leveraged to advance their personal and collective well-being. Despite notable successes in politics, business, education, and entertainment, research on the African-American experience tends to highlight vulnerabilities and inequities in educational, economic, criminal justice, and health-related processes and outcomes. These conditions have helped reinvigorate public debate and stimulated an uptick in civic organizing and activism. An integrity-based perspective is useful to this analysis as it situates the presentday African-American experience within the larger history of racialized cultural oppression that often accompanies American global imperialism. However, this perspective foregrounds the resulting resistance and pursuit of self-determined wellness by people of color throughout the world [Jagers, Mustafaa, & Noel, in press]. The recent protests and organizing triggered by both police and internecine violence represent contemporary instantiations of this centuries-old struggle. There is an appreciation for connections with other domestic and international movements (often youth led) that have (re)emerged to counter related concerns, such as Angloconformity and rising xenophobia, corporatism and government dysfunction, exploitation of women and heteronormativity, militarized police tactics and protracted foreign wars, and environmental exploitation and climate change.

Journal of Black Psychology, Jun 12, 2016

Sociopolitical development theory asserts that critical social analysis informs prosocial behavio... more 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 as a latent construct among a sample of 265 Black male adolescents in Grades 7 to 10 from three suburban districts in the Midwestern United States. Structural equation modeling revealed that received parental racial pride messages, but not school-based discrimination experiences, predicted Black male adolescents' oppression analysis. An oppression analysis and school-based discrimination had direct effects on prosocial behaviors. Racial pride messages had an indirect effect on prosocial behaviors through oppression analysis. In addition, an oppression analysis had an indirect effect on prosocial behaviors through social-emotional skills. This research offers insight into the role of Black boys' critical social