Using the Transtheoretical Model to Promote Behavior Change for Social Justice in Kinesiology

Abstract Although a major goal of social justice-based education is to facilitate changes in discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, it can sometimes backfire and elicit negative responses from students. One framework that may help us understand the psychological processes of the recipients of social justice education is the transtheoretical model. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the utility of the transtheoretical model as a framework for understanding behavior change in social justice education in kinesiology. We provide a brief introduction of the transtheoretical model and examples of how social justice educators can use the five stages of change as a guiding framework to design educational materials that promote beliefs and behavior change for social justice.