Reframing Externalizing Behaviors Through Community Cultural Wealth: An Asset-Based School Psychology Case Study
Laura Robles Miranda
Department of Psychology
Faculty Supervisor: Shasta Ihorn
Externalizing behaviors in school settings are often described as defiance, impulsivity, aggression, or hyperactivity (Liu, 2004). Students of color, particularly Black and Latino boys, have historically been disproportionately identified with behavioral disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Fadus et al., 2019). Traditional assessment frameworks often interpret these behaviors through deficit-oriented perspectives that emphasize dysfunction while overlooking the cultural, linguistic, and contextual factors that influence how behavior is expressed and understood (Valencia, 1997). Schools are typically the primary setting where these behaviors are first identified and addressed, so that these interpretations can contribute to inequities in discipline and outcomes in special education.
This culminating experience explores how externalizing behaviors can be understood through an asset-based lens, using Tara Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework. CCW highlights the strengths and forms of capital present within marginalized students, including aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital. Using a school-based case study, information was gathered through multiple sources common to school psychology practice, including classroom observations, teacher and parent input, student interviews, and psychoeducational assessment data. Examining behavior through Yosso’s CCW framework offers a different lens for understanding student experiences as well as identifying strengths that may otherwise be overlooked.
Findings suggest that behaviors often labeled as disruptive reflect student's attempts to navigate academic demands within their environments. Implications for school psychology practice include the importance of culturally responsive assessment, collaboration with families and educators, and the use of asset-based frameworks when interpreting student’s externalizing behaviors. Reframing externalizing behaviors in this way may help school psychologists support more equitable and responsive practices in schools.