Social Justice Theory Qualitative Research

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Social Justice Theory: Qualitative Research and School Psychology Social justice theory in research encompasses a variety of approaches in which the goal of the research is to create changes in social systems, address important social issues, challenge oppressive systems, and identify inequities (Creswell, 2012; O’Connor & O’Neill, 2004). According to Creswell (2012), this framework is located within an interpretive stance and seeks to integrate the participants into the research process. The interpretive perspective can be describes as the belief that the world is socially constructed. This theory focuses on the meaning of what is happening (i.e. the essence of the experience) and uses inductive reasoning to construct meaning from …show more content…
In social justice research, the data that is collected represents the subjective experiences of the participants and requires that the researcher take the point-of-view of the participant and avoidance of imposing one’s own preconceived notions onto the data. This framework can be used effectively when exploring any number of social issues in which there are power inequities within which individuals are marginalized (O’Connor & O’Neill, 2004). While there are many different conceptualizations of the theoretical foundations of social justice theory, there is a consistent description of the themes addressed within this framework. These themes include: equity/fairness, access, participation/inclusion, and harmony/respect (Lyons et al., 2013; Sander, Sharkey, Groomes, Krumholz, Walker, & Hsu, 2011). The issue of equity/fairness addresses the belief that everyone should be treated based upon their own individual needs (Sander et al., 2011). Next, access involves equal opportunity to access resources and includes analysis of the barriers to access for marginalized groups (Sander et al, 2011). Next, in order to engage in social justice practice, the participation/inclusion of members of the culture that is the focus of the …show more content…
Their research, however, in the practices and knowledge of graduate students in the field of education around LGBT youth and social justice indicates that many going into the field are not equipped with the tools to be effective tools for social change (McCabe & Rubinson, 2008). Nastasi (2008) also notes that in the current training model, school psychologists report that they lack the knowledge (of law, ethics, best practices) and advocacy skills to be true agents of social change. One model of social justice research within the field of education and psychology was developed by Sander et al. (2011) through their work with juvenile offenders returning to the school system. Similar to my own research interests, the authors focus upon students that are at high risk for negative outcomes (drop-out, further incarceration etc.) and are marginalized within the public school system. The authors argue for an advocacy-based model that utilizes an ecological framework to ensure access, respect, and fairness to all students within the public school system. The first step in implementing this model is making the disparities within the school system visible and generally accepted by educators as issues that need to be actively addressed (Sander et al.,
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