The Division 35
Taskforce on Adolescent Girls
The Division 35 Taskforce on Adolescent Girls has developed this website to promote an agenda of research focused on empowering and improving the lives of girls. As such, this website will disseminate and archive research that is focused on adolescent girls or research that has an impact on the lives of adolescent girls. The work of distinguished scientists conducting research in this area will be featured quarterly.
The first featured scientist is Dr. Michelle Fine. Also featured are two of Michelle’s students: Maria Elena Torre and Sara McClelland.
The second featured scientist is Dr. Faye Z. Belgrave. Also featured is Faye’s junior scientist, Dr. Maya Corneille.
Dr. Faye Belgrave
Dr. Faye Belgrave is Professor of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and founding director of the Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention. Her programmatic and research interests are in the areas of HIV and substance abuse prevention. Her research focuses on the role of culture and context in preventive interventions. Her research also focuses on gender and female-related issues.
Dr. Belgrave has been (and currently is) the Principal Investigator on many grants funded by SAMHSA, NIH, and the Department of Education. Several of these projects have implemented and evaluated cultural interventions for African American adolescent and young adult females in the areas of substance abuse and HIV prevention.
Dr. Belgrave has published extensively including over 60 articles and book chapters, two books, a curriculum, several monographs, and is an invited speaker on the topics of culture and gender issues. She serves as an expert advisor on several national committees and agencies including the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, SAMHSA She is the recipient of many national awards for her work with ethnic minority populations. Some of her most recent awards include: The Distinguished Faculty Award for the State of Virginia (State Council of Higher Education in Virginia), 2008, Outstanding Teacher Award, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007, and the Addie Jane Key Prevention Award, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2007. She has also received awards from the American Psychological Association and the Association of Black Psychologists.
Dr. Belgrave received her PhD from the University of Maryland, her masters’ degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and her BS degree from North Carolina A& T State University.
Partial Bibliography on African American Girls
Ashcraft, A.M., & Belgrave, F.Z. (2004). Gender Identity development in African American girls. The Psychology of Gender Identity. Hauppague, N.Y: Nova Science Publishers.
Belgrave, F.Z. (2002). Relational theory and cultural enhancement interventions for African American adolescent girls. Public Health Reports, 117, 76-81
Belgrave, F.Z., Chase-Vaughn, G., Gray, F., Dixon-Addison, J., & Cherry, V.R. (2000). The effectiveness of a culture and gender specific intervention for increasing resiliency among African American pre-adolescent females. Journal of Black Psychology, 26(2), 123-147.
Belgrave, F.Z., Cherry, V. R, Butler, D., & Townsend, T. (2008). Sisters of Nia: A Cultural Curriculum to Empower African American Girls. Champagne Ill: Research Press.
Belgrave, F.Z., Marin, B.V., & Chambers, D. (2000). Cultural, contextual, and intrapersonal predictors of risky sexual attitudes among urban African American females in early adolescence. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 309-322.
Belgrave, F.Z., Reed, M.C., Plybon, L.E., Butler, D.S., Allison, K.W., & Davis, T. (2004). Sisters of Nia: A cultural program for African American girls. Journal of Black Psychology, 30, 329-343.
Belgrave, F.Z., Reed, M.C., Plybon, L.E., & Corneille, M. (2004). The impact of a culturally enhanced drug prevention program on drug and alcohol refusal efficacy among urban African American girls. Journal Drug Education, 34, 267-279.
Boyd, K., Ashcraft, A. & Belgrave F.Z. (2006). The impact of mother-daughter and father-daughter relationships on drug refusal self-efficacy among African American adolescent girls in urban communities. Journal of Black Psychology, 31(4), 1-14.
Corneille, M, Ashcraft, A, & Belgrave, F.Z .(2005). What’s Culture Got to Do with It: Deconstructing drug and HIV prevention programs for African American youth. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 16(4), 38-47.
Corneille, M., Zyzniewski, L, & Belgrave, F.Z. (2008). Age and HIV risk and protective behaviors among African American women. Journal of Black Psychology, 34, 217-233.
Corneille, M. & Belgrave, F.Z. (2007). Ethnic identity, neighborhood risk, and adolescent drug and sex attitudes and refusal efficacy: The urban African American girls’ experience. Journal of Drug Education, 37(2), 177-190.
Lisbeth, S.J., Belgrave, F.Z., Bradford, J., White, M., & Honnold, J. (2007). Family, cultural, and gender role in the context of HIV risk among African American women of unidentified HIV status: An exploratory qualitative study. AIDS Care, 19(3), 307-317.
Plybon, L.E., Edwards, L., Butler, D., Belgrave, F.Z., & Allison, A.W. (2003). Examining the link between neighborhood cohesion and school outcomes: The role of support coping among African American adolescent girls. Journal of Black Psychology, 29(4), 393-407.
Links to Dr. Belgrave’s website:
Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention
http://www.ccep.vcu.edu/
VCU Dept Psychology – Dr. Belgrave’s web page
http://www.has.vcu.edu/psy/people/belgrave.html
Junior Researcher working with Dr. Belgrave:
Maya Corneille, PhD
Biography—Maya Corneille, PhD
My work with adolescent girls and young women focuses on examining the effectiveness of drug and HIV prevention programs for African American adolescent girls and women. Additionally, my research examines cultural factors associated with sexual safety and risk-taking for African American girls and women.
In collaboration with Dr. Faye Belgrave, I served as the evaluator for Gumboyaya II a study that evaluates the effectiveness of a program designed to reduce negative outcomes associated with alcohol and drug use and risky sexual behavior among young African American adult females. The project is funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (2004-2008). An evidenced-based curriculum called Sisters Informing Sisters on the Topic of AIDS (SISTA), a five session peer-led curriculum (DiClemente & Wingood, 1995) is used. Belgrave & Corneille (2006) developed an additional component that addresses the role of alcohol and drug use in risky sexual behavior. Over the previous three years, I have trained 40 peer facilitators to implement this curriculum. Data has been collected from over 400 women. Women are recruited through a variety of partners including more than 15 local agencies and organizations (i.e. churches, health clinics, substance abuse treatment facilities, educational facilities). Preliminary data analyses reveal decreased substance abuse and HIV risk as demonstrated by attitude, knowledge, and behavior changes. Cross sectional data also indicate that older African American women may demonstrate increased risk for STI infections due to lack of condom use (Corneille, Zyzniewski, Belgrave, 2008).
I currently serve as the Principal Investigator for Gumboyaya III: SISTA Voices, a study that evaluates the effectiveness of an HIV and drug prevention intervention for African American young adult women attending a historically African American university (funded by the Office on Women’s Health). We developed an additional component that addresses the role of developing healthy relationships in preventing health risk behaviors. Female participants bring a male partner/friend to the session in order to discuss developing healthy relationships. Preliminary data indicate that at post-test intervention participants demonstrate increased condom use, more positive condom attitudes, and greater use of HIV testing services.
Relevant publications include:
Corneille, M., Zyznewski, L., & Belgrave, F. (2008) Age and HIV risk and protective behaviors among African American women. Journal of Black Psychology, 34, 217-233.
Corneille, M. & Belgrave, F. (2007) Ethnic identity, neighborhood risk, and adolescent sex and drug efficacy and attitudes: The Urban African American Girls’ Experience. Journal of Drug Education, 37, 177-190.
Corneille, M, Ashcraft, A, Belgrave, F (2005) What’s Culture Got to Do With It: Deconstructing drug and HIV prevention programs for African American youth. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 16, 38-47.
Belgrave, F., Reed, M., Plybon, L., Corneille, M. (2004) The Impact of a Culturally Enhanced Drug Prevention Program on Drug and Alcohol Refusal Efficacy among Urban African American Girls. Journal of Drug Education, 34, 267-279.
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Dr. Michelle Fine
Michelle Fine is a Distinguished Professor of Social Psychology, Women’s Studies and Urban Education at the Graduate Center, CUNY. Her recent awards include the 2008 Social Justice Action award from the Winter Cross Cultural Roundtable on Psychology and Education, 2007 Willystine Goodsell Award from the American Educational Research Association, the 2005 First Annual Morton Deutsch Award, an Honorary Doctoral Degree for Education and Social Justice from Bank Street College in 2002 and the Carolyn Sherif Award from the American Psychological Association in 2001. Recent publications include: Cammarota, J. and Fine, M. (Eds., 2008) Revolutionizing Education: Youth Participatory Action Research in Motion. New York: Routledge Publishers; and Sirin, S. and Fine, M. (2007) Designated Others: Muslim American Youth Negotiating Identities Post 9-11.New York: New York University Press.
Partial Bibliography
My work with adolescent girls and young women can be catalogued as participatory research on young women’s experiences of injustice and resistance in schools, prisons and youth social movements; research on young women’s bodies and sexualities, and feminist methodologies.
Young women’s experiences of Injustice and Resistance: in schools, prisons and youth social movements
Cammarota, J., & Fine, M. (Eds.). (2008). Revolutionizing education: Youth participatory action research in motion. New York: Routledge Publishers.
Zaal, M., Salah, T., & Fine, M. (2007). The Weight of the hyphen: Freedom, fusion and responsibility embodied by young Muslim-American women during a time of surveillance. Applied Developmental Sciences, 11, 3, 164–177.
Fine, M., & Weis, L. (1998) The unknown city: Lives of poor and working class young adults. Boston: Beacon Press.
Guinier, L., Fine, M., & Balin, J. (1996) Becoming gentlemen: Women, law school and institutional change. Boston: Beacon Press.
Fine, M., Burns, A., Torre, M. E., & Payne, Y. (2007). How class matters: The geography of educational desire and despair in schools and courts. In L. Weis (Ed.), The way class works: Matters: Readings on school, family and the economy. New York: Routledge.
Fine, M., Tuck, J. E., & Zeller-Berkman, S. (2007). Do you believe in Geneva? In N. Denzin, L. T. Smith, & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of critical and indigenous knowledges.Beverley Hills: Sage Publications. Also in C. McCarthy, C., Durham, A., Engel, L., Filmer, A., Giardina, M., & Malagreca, M. (2007). Globalizing cultural studies (pp. 493–525). New York: Routledge.
Torre, M. Fine, M., Alexander, N., & Genao, E. (2007). Moving to the rhythm of social justice: Urban young women’s experiences of research and action. In B. Leadbeater & N. Way (Eds.), Urban girls, revisited (pp. 221–242). New York: New York University Press.
Fine, M., Torre, M., Burns, A., & Payne, Y. (2007). Youth research/participatory methods for reform. In D. Thiessen & A. Cook-Sather (Eds.), International handbook of student experience in elementary and secondary schools (pp. 805–828). Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Pastor, J., McCormick, J., & Fine, M., with Andolsen, R., N. Friedman, N. Richardson, Roach, T., & M. Tavarez. (1996). Makin' homes: An urban girl thing. In B.J. Leadbeater & N. Way (Eds.), Urban girls: Resisting stereotypes, creating identities (pp.15–34). New York: New York University Press.
Young women’s bodies and sexualities
McClelland, S., & Fine, M. (2008). Writing on cellophane:
Studying teen women’s sexual desires, Inventing methodological release points In K. Gallagher, The methodological dilemma: Critical and creative approaches to qualitative research, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
McClelland, S., & Fine, M. (2007). Rescuing a theory of adolescent sexual excess: Young women and wanting. In Anita Harris (Ed.), Next wave cultures: Feminism, subcultures, activism (pp.83–104). New York: Taylor and Francis,.
McClelland, S., & Fine, M. (2008). Embedded science: The production of consensus in evaluation of abstinence-only curricula. Qualitative Inquiry, 8, 2.
Fine, M., & McClelland, S. (2007). The politics of teen women’s sexuality: Public policy and the adolescent female body. Emory Law Review, 56(4), 993–1038.
Fine, M., & McClelland, S. (2006). Sexuality education and the discourse of desire: Still missing after all these years. Harvard Educational Review, 76(3), 297–338.
Hall, R., & Fine, M. (2005). The stories we tell: The lives and friendship of two older Black lesbians. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29(2), 177–187.
Fine, M., & Macpherson, P. (1993). Over dinner: Feminism and adolescent female bodies. In S. Biklen & D. Pollard (Eds.), Gender and education, NSSE Yearbook. Also in H. L. Radtke and H. J. Stam (Eds.). (1994). Power/gender: Social relations in theory and practice (pp. 219–246). London: Sage.
Fine, M., & Asch, A. (Eds.), (1988). Women with disabilities: Essays in psychology, culture, and politics. Sponsored by American Psychological Association, Divisions 9 and 35. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Feminist Methodologies
Fine, M. (1992). Disruptive voices: The transgressive possibilities of feminist research. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Clough, P., & Fine, M. (2007). Feminist activisms. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 35(3/4), 255–275.
Fine, M., & Torre, M.E. (2006). Intimate details: Participatory action research in a women’s prison. Action Research, 4(3), 253–269.
Related Links
Michelle Fine’s faculty website at the CUNY Graduate Center Psychology Dept.:
http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Psychology/socpersonality/MFine.htm
Website of the Participatory Action Research Collective at the CUNY Graduate Center, which Michelle facilitates:
http://web.gc.cuny.edu/che/start.htm
Maria Elena Torre
Description of research related to adolescent girls:
My research draws on participatory approaches that feature the production of spaces of radical inclusion—where differences among co-researchers are not only recognized, but engaged; and where power and privilege are made central. I am interested in how people traditionally viewed as subjects of research come together in such spaces, repositioned as architects of research, to collaboratively question the injustice that surrounds them, i.e: the striking educational inequalities, the absence of comprehensive sex education, or the loss of a once vibrant college-in-prison program.
Building on the work of Mary Louise Pratt (1992) and Gloria Anzaldúa (1999) and informed by critical race, post-colonial and feminist theory, I have begun to develop a “contact approach” within Participatory Action Research (PAR) that pays careful attention to the psychological dynamics of researching in the “contact zone” at the individual and collective levels, as well as the level of knowledge production.
My research with adolescent girls has largely taken place in schools and community-based programs. The young women in the Opportunity Gap Project and in the Echoes of Brown Project were part of a larger team of youth researchers and performers investigating educational inequities in 12 school districts in New York and New Jersey post-Brown, that also included some young men. My research with April Burns and the young women who worked as teen advocates in a reproductive health organization looks at the shifting discourse of desire in a heightened context of “accountability” and abstinence.
Related Publications:
Torre, M. E., & Fine, M., with Alexander, N., Billups, A., Genao, E., Marboe, M. & Salah, T. Participatory action research in the contact zone. (In press). In J. Cammarota & M. Fine (Eds.), Revolutionizing education: Youth participatory action research in motion. New York: Routledge.
Torre, M. E., & Fine, M. (2008). Researching together across difference: Methods for anti-racist teaching and learning. In M. Pollock (Ed.), Everyday antiracism: Concrete ways to successfully navigate the relevance of race in school. New York: The New Press.
Torre, M. E., Fine, M., Alexander, N., & Genao, E. (2007). Moving to the rhythm of social justice: Urban young women’s experiences of research and action. In B. Leadbeater & N. Way (Eds.), Urban girls, Revisited. New York: New York University Press.
Torre, M. E. (2005). The alchemy of integrated spaces: Youth participation in research collectives of difference. In L. Weis & M. Fine (Eds.), Beyond silenced voices (pp. 251–266). Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. Available online at http://www.pbs.org/beyondbrown/resources/legacylinks.html.
Burns, A., & Torre, M. E. (2005). Revolutionary sexualities: Discourses of desire in the context of abstinence-only sex education. Journal of Feminism and Psychology,15(1), 21–26.
Burns, A., & Torre, M. E. (2004). Shifting desires: Discourses of accountability in abstinence-only education in the U.S. In A. Harris (Ed.), All about the girl (pp. 127–137). New York: Routledge.
Sara McClelland
Description of research related to adolescent girls:
In my collaboration with Michelle Fine, I have investigated how public policies affect the sexual and reproductive health of young women and men and, importantly, how outcomes of these policies fracture along race, class, gender, and disability lines. Recognizing federal policies as crucial to the social psychological contexts in which young women and men develop, we examined three major policies: abstinence-only-until-marriage education policies, parental consent for abortion, and age limits for emergency contraception. Using data from first-hand observations in federal and state courts, focus groups, interviews with educators, reviews of youth-based websites, legal discourses, and critical analyses of medical and psychological research, we developed number of theoretical frameworks that help to assess how young people’s sexual health is variably shaped by the policies they operate within.
For example, in our twenty-year update to Fine’s seminal 1988 “missing discourse” article in Harvard Educational Review, we critically analyzed the impact of abstinence-only curricula in low income public schools and introduced the theoretical framework of “thick desire” in order to encourage researchers, advocates, and policy makers to consider how sexual health relies not only on intimate supports, but on educational, familial, legal, and social supports as well (Fine & McClelland, 2006). Targeting reproductive rights advocates and legal audiences, we published a paper in Emory Law Review which analyzed how certain groups of marginalized young women, such as young women of color, those with disabilities, lesbians, and young women in poverty, suffer more severely as public policies aimed at encouraging adolescent sexual health shift away from offering support and, instead, toward punishment for sexual activity (Fine & McClelland, 2007). Additionally, we have recently analyzed the survey assessment tools which were used to measure the psychological and sexual outcomes of abstinence-only curricula (McClelland & Fine, 2008).
Related Publications:
McClelland, S. I., & Fine, M. (in press). Writing on cellophane: Studying teen women’s sexual desires; Inventing methodological release points. K. Gallagher (Ed.), The methodological dilemma: Creative, critical and collaborative approaches to qualitative research. London: Routledge.
McClelland, S. I. (in press). A good teaching tool: Some assembly required. Review of: Adolescent sexuality: A historical handbook and guide, C, Cocca, Ed. The Journal of Sex Research.
McClelland, S. I., & Fine, M. (2008). Embedded science: Critical analysis of abstinence-only evaluation research. Cultural Studies, Critical Methodologies, 8(1), 50–81.
Fine, M., & McClelland, S. I. (2007). The politics of teen women’s sexuality: Public policy and the adolescent female body. Emory Law Journal, 56(4), 993–1038.
Opotow, S.. & McClelland, S. I. (2007). The intensification of hating: A theory. Social Justice Research, 20(1), 68–97.
Fine, M., & McClelland, S. I. (2006). Sexuality education and desire: Still missing after all these years. Harvard Educational Review, 76(3), 297–338.
McClelland, S. I., & Fine, M. (2007). Rescuing a theory of adolescent sexual excess: Young women and wanting. A. Harris (Ed.), Next wave cultures: Feminism, subcultures, activism. London: Routledge.
NOTE: To recommend a scientist who is conducting research with adolescent girls, send contact information to: Dionne Jones, PhD |
For more information about this site,
contact Kelly Kadlec, Division 35 webmaven.
