Bringing Social Justice Principles to Practice: New Practitioners Speak

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.