The Impact of Analyzing Young Adult Literature for Racial Identity / Social Justice Orientation with Interdisciplinary Students

ABSTRACT Research suggests that students need authenticity by welcoming their stories, even causing tension and discomfort with complex topics, encouraging discussion, and questioning. Our study explores undergraduates’ open-ended reflections on using young adult literature to challenge dominant, deficit perspectives about themselves and others, which is not yet the norm but more common in high school settings. We explored how students questioned their implicit biases and assumptions toward a more critically aware identity through a holistic qualitative case study. Our analysis of students’ open-ended reflections produced three major themes: (a) Importance of Diverse Books and Analysis; (b) Books as an Impetus for a Change in Thinking and Awareness of Self; and (c) Lingering Tensions and Ongoing Resistance. Although many students expressed a change in thinking, there were still instances that reflected resistance.