Measuring Critical Consciousness in White Rural Appalachian College Students

Critical consciousness (CC) refers to the ability to identify, analyze, and challenge systems of oppression. Recent literature has linked CC to a variety of positive career development outcomes, primarily in samples of Youth of Color (e.g., Diemer & Blustein, 2006; Diemer et al., 2010). Very few studies have explored the nuances of CC and career variables in populations who hold both privileged and marginalized identities. Thus, this study sought to explore CC in a cross-sectional sample of 227 white rural Appalachian college students. The study goals were to test the validity of the Critical Consciousness Scale (CCS; Diemer et al., 2017) and explore whether the theoretically supported relationship between CC and work volition held in this population. Results indicate that while the psychometric properties of the CCS (Diemer et al., 2017) seemed to replicate within our sample, CC as a construct did not operate as predicted. These findings contribute to the growing literature on CC and career development specifically and on the cultural validity of CC theory more broadly. Limitations and future directions are discussed, along with recommendations for practice.