Critical Awareness Research Articles

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how higher education institutions fulfill their social responsibility mandates through structured service-learning. Using the internal revenue service (IRS) volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) program in the USA as a case study, it explores how skill-based volunteerism in academic curricula functions as an institutional expression of corporate social responsibility (CSR) while advancing student learning and nonprofit service capacity. Design/methodology/approach This research uses a case study approach, analyzing the redesigned Income Tax course where students gain hands-on experience by providing free tax preparation services to underserved populations in the USA. The engageability framework is applied to assess how value-based practices, managerial strategies, physical support and supportive networks improve student engagement and nonprofit sustainability. Findings The study finds that integrated academic-service models significantly improve student volunteer retention, professional skill development and nonprofit capacity, while reinforcing the university’s role as a socially accountable stakeholder. Additionally, embedding real-world service into coursework with nonprofit missions fosters greater civic responsibility, professional skill development and long-term engagement while addressing critical community needs. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature on CSR in higher education by positioning structured service-learning as a tool for fostering authentic student engagement and critical awareness of CSR motives. It extends the engageability framework into academia, providing a scalable model for aligning institutional resources with community needs. It offers practical insights for educators, university leaders and nonprofit practitioners seeking to design sustainable, mission-driven service-learning programs that fulfill both educational and societal goals.

This paper presents a qualitative case study involving English language student teachers (STs) in Portugal, who participated in a program integrating Linguistic Landscapes (LLs) as a pedagogical tool. The study investigates how engaging with LLs supported the development of STs’ Critical Multilingual Language Awareness. Data were collected from whole-class discussions, written reflections and student-produced materials, and analyzed using content and discourse analysis. The results reveal that the program fostered a heightened awareness of the multilingual realities of public and educational spaces and encouraged STs to reflect critically on dominant language ideologies. Despite some tensions with curriculum constraints, participants increasingly envisioned their role as language educators in more inclusive and socially responsive terms. The study concludes that LLs can serve not only as objects of sociolinguistic inquiry but also as transformative resources in language teacher education, helping future teachers address linguistic and social inequalities and embrace multilingualism as a pedagogical asset in the EFL classroom.

Despite growing calls to foster civic engagement among adolescents in the United States, many youths remain disengaged. While previous research has examined the types and benefits of civic activities, less is known about diverse contribution patterns and their links to demographics. This study examines the heterogeneity of adolescents’ contribution behaviors and associations with demographic variables, PYD, purpose, hope, and critical consciousness. The sample included 723 U.S. adolescents (average age = 15.76, SD = 1.22; 54.9% female/non-binary). Latent Profile Analysis identified four profiles: Less-engaged, Digital Advocates (high online, low offline), Local Helpers (high interpersonal helping), and Contributors (high across all domains). Chi-square and ANOVA revealed no significant age, gender, or race/ethnicity differences, but socioeconomic status was higher among Contributors and Local Helpers. PYD, purpose, hope, and critical consciousness varied, with more engaged groups reporting higher levels. Findings underscore the multifaceted nature of contribution and opportunities to support diverse civic engagement.

This essay examines how Aldous Huxley’s travelogues depict art, culture, and space from a realistic and socially critical standpoint. In the following short travelogues: “Between Peshawar and Lahore,” “Guatemala City,” “Agra,” “Japan,” “Benares,” and “Copan,” he critiques the behavior of people, art, architecture, and other locations by making observations about their actuality, popularity, genuine values, and frivolity. He attacks the Indian subcontinent’s populace for seeing themselves as divine beings and for frequently deceiving and intimidating the weak and impoverished. He critically observes and analyzes well-known historic and religious sites while traversing India. Depending on their critical consciousness and scientific conscience, he finds common people of India either engaging in more restrictive rituals or spiritually following the persons like Baba, Jogi, or Swami. He also comments on Japanese folk performances for lacking the creativity and engagement in their performances. Hence, he considers internal politics, poverty, and illiteracy as the main factors contributing to the degradation of historic world heritage sites, artwork, and the history of major civilizations in Latin American nations. The study applies William Raymond and Willis Truitt’s concepts of realism to theoretically support the arguments.

Experiences of racial discrimination, critical consciousness, and mental health among Asian Americans.

In response to increasing curiosity, confusion, and concern about generative artificial intelligence (AI), the authors launched the AI Hub at the University of Guelph-Humber during the 2024–2025 academic year. Designed as a physical booth in a high-traffic area of campus, the AI Hub served as a welcoming space where students, instructors, and staff could explore the practical and ethical dimensions of AI through informal, hands-on interactions. Weekly activities ranged from live demonstrations to guided discussions and resource sharing, aiming to make AI approachable and meaningful for academic, personal, and professional use. These encounters encouraged dialogue and reflection, fostering a deeper understanding of AI’s capabilities and limitations. This paper describes the development and implementation of the AI Hub, offering insight into both the logistics and outcomes of this initiative. Over the course of the year, the AI Hub engaged more than 500 members on campus and over 18,000 views on videos on social media, suggesting strong interest and growing demand for accessible AI education. Reflections from the student research assistants who operated the booth revealed four key themes: shifting from fear to empowerment, creating safe spaces for open conversation, bridging understanding through practical tools, and reshaping their own perspectives on AI’s role in their future careers. This article offers a replicable, low-barrier model for engaging campus communities in ethical AI exploration and concludes with recommendations for institutions seeking to build confidence, curiosity, and critical awareness around AI technologies.

Despite the algorithmic control they face and the individualised nature of their work, platform workers develop connections and form communities to support one another. In academic literature, this solidarity is often viewed as a mode of resistance to platforms. This article challenges that perspective by empirically examining the role of workers’ communities in the platform labour process. Drawing on an exploratory study of food delivery platforms in Chile, which included 43 interviews, five virtual shadowing sessions and 497 surveys, this research argues that solidarity plays a dual role: it fosters a critical collective consciousness that challenges the rules imposed by platforms, while also contributing to the production of consent. By helping workers assimilate the platforms’ rules or accommodate them to cope with the tensions of work, communities can reinforce the platform labour regime. The article suggests viewing labour solidarity as an inherently paradoxical and contested space.

LINGUISTIC IDEOLOGIES IN THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE: PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITIES TO INTRODUCE LINGUISTIC ACTIVISM IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOMThis article explores linguistic ideologies in linguistic landscapes in Hamburg and their potential as a pedagogical tool to introduce language activism in the classroom. Linguistic landscapes, defined as the visibility and presence of languages in public spaces, reflect and reproduce societal ideologies on multilingualism. By engaging students with these elements, critical awareness of language policies, linguistic diversity, and sociolinguistic hierarchies can be fostered. The study presents two examples of pedagogical proposals with pictures of different neighborhoods in Hamburg, designed to integrate linguistic landscape analysis into language education. These proposals focus on promoting students’ engagement and their critical and even confrontational positioning, encouraging them to critically analyze the social and political dimensions of language use. Through the proposed activities and discussions on language ideologies, students can develop a deeper understanding of language as a social practice. Findings suggest that incorporating linguistic landscape analysis into language education not only enhances students’ sociolinguistic awareness but also fosters an inclusive and reflective learning environment. Furthermore, it equips students with tools to develop a predisposition for language activism, advocating for linguistic rights and diversity in their communities. This article contributes to the ongoing discourse on language education by providing practical strategies that link theoretical discussions on linguistic ideologies with classroom practice, ultimately promoting critical, participatory, and socially engaged language learning.

LEARNING (SOCIO)LINGUISTICS THROUGH THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE OF PALMA: A PRACTICAL EXPERIENCEThis paper presents a pedagogical experience related to the innovation project “Planning the Acquisition of the Norm: From the Classroom to the Street” (PID232522), which aims to provide students of three undergraduate courses (Sociolinguistics, Language Planning, and Descriptive Grammar: Syntax and Pragmatics) a holistic view of external and internal linguistics, and to equip them with the necessary tools to approach the sociolinguistic reality of the archipelago in their professional lives. Among other things, the project includes, as a key element, the development of a coordinated final project coordinated, which in the 2023-2024 academic year consisted of a study on linguistic landscapes, a key concept for understanding how languages are represented in public space. Specifically, students carried out an analysis of the linguistic landscapes of three types of establishments (a large retail store, a small shop, and a restaurant) in different areas of Palma. Through this study, patterns of linguistic behavior were identified, which can be summarized in two main conclusions. On the one hand, students observed the presence of linguistic diversity in the most touristic areas of the city—in addition to the official languages of the Balearic Islands, languages such as German and English were also present. On the other hand, the project allowed students to find out a predominance of Spanish in the key points for the configuration of the linguistic landscape, followed by the most common languages for dealing with tourists—German and English. The paper shows how this experience allowed students to enhance their knowledge, competencies, and skills, developing a critical awareness of the sociolinguistic situation in the city and gaining better preparation to face the professional challenges that they will encounter in fields such as language planning or teaching.

This study is motivated by the importance of understanding text structure and linguistic aspects in news texts as a foundation for developing students’ critical literacy skills. The objectives of this research are (1) to describe the forms and functions of structure and linguistic aspects found in corruption news texts published on the online media Tempo.co, and (2) to utilize the research findings as recommendations for developing a news text learning module for seventh-grade Indonesian language classes. This research employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive design. The analysis of news text structure refers to Musman and Mulyadi (2021), while the analysis of linguistic aspects is based on the framework proposed by Kurniawan and Kosasih (2018). The data consist of corruption news articles from the Peristiwa section of Tempo.co, focusing on text structures such as titles, place, and date of events, leads, and bodies of news; as well as linguistic aspects including the use of standard language, direct sentences, the conjunction that, mental verbs, time and place adverbials, and temporal conjunctions. The results show that the structure of the news texts on Tempo.co is complete and systematically organized, applying an inverted pyramid model that places the most essential information at the beginning. The linguistic aspects are consistently aligned with the characteristics of formal news language, demonstrating factuality, accuracy, and objectivity. Based on these findings, the researcher proposes a learning module for teaching news texts in seventh-grade Indonesian language classes. This module is expected to enhance students’ ability to understand text structures and linguistic features, as well as foster critical awareness of media discourse.

Contrary to a longstanding scholarly view that Rousseau’s Second Discourse , or Discourse on the Origin and the Foundations of Inequality Among Men (1755), is a merely critical text, I argue that this work provides readers with a positive model for exit from corrupt, unequal political society. In the engraved frontispiece illustration, the central figure is an indigenous Hottentot raised by Europeans. He ultimately exits from European civilized society, liberating himself and recovering equality. Yet he retains two European items, a cutlass and a necklace. In correspondence, Rousseau praised this illustration for aligning with his theoretical vision. Yet scholars haven’t fully investigated its significance. Taking into account, for the first time, an overlooked detail—the Hottentot’s so-called “necklace” is actually a constraining chain—I offer a new reading that highlights liberation from inequality. I explain the caption and historically contextualize Rousseau’s Hottentot compared to Rousseau’s European sources. The frontispiece story illustrates both the psychological basis for pernicious political inequality and civil society’s inferiority to “sauvage” life. Further, my reading exposes a novel theoretical aspect of the Discourse : Rousseau’s constructive insight on how civilized eighteenth-century readers should respond to his critique of civilization. Rejecting unequal political arrangements and “returning” to sauvage freedom is a difficult but real option that courageous individuals might freely choose and take pride in. What I call Rousseau’s emancipatory authorship engages readers’ pride or amour-propre and challenges them to seek freedom and equality, or at least gain critical awareness of the pernicious political conditions around them.

Enhancing critical language awareness in EAL writing education amid the rise of generative artificial intelligence

ABSTRACT Despite the rising visibility of K-pop dance clubs and teams in college, there is scarce research on K-pop dance education in the US. Employing (auto)ethnography and critical dance studies, this article examines the first three units K-pop dance practice course offered at California State University (CSU) Summer Arts in 2023 with an unprecedented K-pop idol master class. Sharing the process of course design, recruitment, and establishing academic credentials, it discusses K-pop’s educational, artistic, and cultural implications as a double-edged sword. K-pop idols who embody the essence of K-pop can motivate students while potentially distracting them. The strong fandom community unites students from different backgrounds, but simultaneously marginalizes dance majors. K-pop’s social media-driven nature also challenges transforming students’ mediated experiences into live theatre. The article then proposes administrative, curricular, pedagogical, and entrepreneurial strategies to tailor K-pop as a degree curriculum in the US, accompanied by sample degree learning outcomes, coursework, hiring tips, and future career options in the field. As an emerging contemporary dance, K-pop dance education not only diversifies the hiring pool of dance instructors, but also adds cultural, artistic, and business-oriented sensibility and readiness to our students. By broadening students’ professional networks, K-pop dance education expands their critical understanding and awareness of global performing arts education, the entertainment industry, and social media entrepreneurship.

This conceptual article explores the potential theoretical synergies between culturally grounded and nonappropriative mindfulness and critical consciousness in addressing the challenges faced by youth of color in coping with racial- and ethnic-related stressors. Drawing on the existing literature, it demonstrates the efficacy of combining mindfulness and critical consciousness to promote resilience among youth of color. Recommendations are proposed for integrating mindfulness and critical consciousness into therapy and out-of-school programs, increasing the potential for positive outcomes for youth of color navigating systemic oppression across multiple contexts. Two primary arguments are advanced: First, mindfulness, when practiced through a critical consciousness lens, can enhance youth of color's capacity to navigate oppressive systems (Critical Consciousness-Informed Mindfulness Interventions). Second, mindfulness can support the mental well-being of youth engaged in critical consciousness efforts, mitigating the toll that such activism can take on their mental health (Mindfulness-Informed Critical Consciousness Programming). By leveraging these shared reflective processes, mindfulness and critical consciousness offer a synergistic, holistic approach to addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by marginalized youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Guided by vulnerability and precarity frameworks, we investigated the career trajectories of paid domestic cleaning (PDC) workers in Switzerland with two specific aims: (a) investigate the accumulation of vulnerabilities through former educational, life, and work experiences and (b) explore the career decisions and volitional constraints that have led to PDC. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main vulnerabilities were identified: restricted possibilities to obtain education (e.g., unequal access, difficulties during educational years), marginalization experiences (e.g., gender inequalities, racism), exposure to precarity-prone contexts and life events (e.g., insecure country, divorce), and precarious work periods and career disruptions (e.g., short-term contracts, job loss). Decisional strategies leading to PDC stemmed from (a) prioritizing survival needs with PDC as easy and quick access to income, (b) weighing available options and choosing the more attractive possibility, and (c) postponing career aspirations, considering PDC a bridge to better career prospects. For each strategy, an illustrative case was provided. This study's contribution stems from the description of person-related and context-related challenges for the career development of workers facing important structural barriers in their careers. In short, our study may change societal views on how workers become involved with precarious work. Practical implications are proposed at the policy and occupational levels, such as more accessible state support, stronger labor regulations, and monitoring. Concerning career counseling, recommendations consist of improving inclusivity, advocacy, and collective and social justice-oriented initiatives, such as interdisciplinary collaborations, developing critical consciousness, and mutual support among counselees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

ABSTRACT This study examines how circular economy participation influences environmental capabilities and distributive justice perceptions among bottom-of-the-pyramid waste collectors in Accra. This study addresses critical gaps in understanding circular economy systems’ social implications in developing country contexts. Using Sen's Capability Approach integrated with Distributive Justice Theory, this study employed PLS-SEM for linear relationships and quadratic PLS-SEM modelling for nonlinear effects. Data from 240 informal waste collectors within the Adentan Municipality was analysed to test complex mediation and moderation effects. This study reveals theoretical insights that challenge mainstream circular economy assumptions. Environmental knowledge emerges as a double-edged mechanism that enhances environmental capabilities while showing complex nonlinear effects on distributive justice perceptions. Circular economy participation operates predominantly through indirect pathways mediated by community support rather than direct individual benefits. Social relationships simultaneously enhance distributive justice perceptions while weakening the relationship between environmental knowledge and critical awareness of systemic inequities. This creates a community support paradox. This study revealed paradoxical relationship that fundamentally challenge existing theoretical frameworks. The community support paradox and the double-edged nature of environmental knowledge represent novel theoretical contributions that extend Sen Capability Approach within the circular economy contexts.

The concept of critical consciousness has been embraced by various approaches that advocate social justice within career guidance. In this context, we revisit the Latin American origins of the ideas of conscientisation and critical consciousness, primarily associated with Paulo Freire in education and Ignacio Martín-Baró in psychology. We also examine their application in the career guidance of Rodolfo Bohoslavsky to emphasise the significance of these concepts in a global framework. We conclude that incorporating critical consciousness into career guidance and counselling is vital. However, we argue that there is a pressing need for contextualisation to refine these concepts politically and conceptually.

This position paper argues that critical language awareness (CLA) must be recognised as a core, future-oriented metacognitive competency. In our time marked by epistemic instability, discursive overload, and interconnected global crises, it is no longer sufficient for people to decode language; they must be equipped to question it, redesign it, and use it ethically to shape more just and sustainable futures. In this paper we review key disciplinary traditions concerned with the power of language and multimodal communication, including critical literacy, rhetoric, sociolinguistics, critical discourse studies, and ecolinguistics. Despite conceptual differences, we identify strong convergences: all treat language as constitutive of social realities and all call for awareness as a form of agency. Building on this shared ground, we propose a unified agenda for CLA that connects theory, practise, and transformation. We outline a new scope and five dimensions of CLA and frame it as a means of developing not only critical awareness, but communicative agency, advocacy, and activism. Scholars and educators can realise CLA’s potential by theorising, teaching, communicating, and operationalising it across disciplines and institutions. We argue that it is time to ‘see the water’: to make visible the linguistic forces that shape our world, and equip learners, educators, and citizens to reshape them.

This study presents a narrative reflective inquiry into the lived experience of a pre-service English teacher who volunteered in a rural village in Bogor, Indonesia. Through systematic reflection on teaching practice, this research examines educational inequality in remote areas where access to education often ends at the primary level. The narrative draws from reflective journals, photographs, and field observations collected during a two-week teaching program in Desa Cibuyutan. Grounded in reflective practice theory and critical pedagogy, this inquiry reveals how immersive teaching experiences shape pedagogical identity and deepen awareness of systemic educational inequities. The findings demonstrate that reflective narrative inquiry serves as a powerful tool for pre-service teachers to develop critical consciousness about rural-urban educational disparities and transform personal uncertainty into professional purpose. This study contributes to teacher education discourse by highlighting the value of experiential learning in preparing socially conscious educators committed to educational equity.

By examining hope through a sociological lens, this commentary frames hope as a critical sociopolitical tool for public health to address structural inequalities and foster healthier communities. We draw on Paolo Freire’s pedagogies of oppression and hope, since they provide a ‘praxis of hope’. We explore the concept of hope – explaining what it is, to then consider what it enables – conveying the ways hope is imperative to human flourishing and imperative in the imagined future of public health. We present a case for public health engagement in developing ‘hope-based’ practices and policies which means working with communities to identify the factors acting as oppressive forces and then, through critical consciousness development, working towards overcoming these in a move towards hope (and health).