Youth perceptions of national change in middle school: how critical reflection supports different models of nationalism

Abstract

While ample research has examined how youth in the United States define ‘Americanness’, little attention has been given to how youth imagine the nation of the future, particularly in light of ongoing immigration. This study investigates how middle school students envision necessary national reforms, and how these views reflect different models of nationalism. To explore how these perceptions are informed by experiences in school and the local community, I analyze ethnographic and student and staff interview data from two middle schools in California located in vastly different sociopolitical communities. I find that, (1) exposure to school curriculum that encourages critical reflection—including a critique of national inequality and hostility toward immigrants—influences whether students support individual or structural national reforms, and (2) students’ degree of critical reflection shapes their endorsement of expansive vs. restrictive nationalism. I conclude with implications for educators to support student sociopolitical development and critical reflection.