Faculty Profile

Teaching Philosophy

My work as a researcher has led me to believe that learning is most enduring when students actively engage new material and find ways to make it relevant to their own lives.  When students are challenged to integrate new knowledge with their existing ideas about the world, they retain that information in a more meaningful way.  Broadly, my goals for students are to understand findings from research in psychology, the process of conducting a research investigation, and how this information can be applied to issues that individuals, communities, and businesses confront in the world.  I see my classes as a chance for students to gain the skills they need to critically evaluate psychological and other social science research presented in scientific literature, as well as the popular press and media.

Research Interests

Through my research program, I seek to understand the role that family relationships play in the trajectory of a child’s development in terms of how these relationships are associated with psychological and achievement outcomes.  In this research, I have focused on two complementary strands of research: 1) studying family relationships of children from different cultural backgrounds and 2) studying family relationships of children with different temperamental qualities. I am ultimately interested in isolating aspects of these transactional processes to find ways to better promote psychological well-being (as well as to avoid psychopathologies associated with temperamental extremes) and academic achievement among children differing in individual qualities, across cultural boundaries. 

Through this program, I am exploring associations between qualities of children’s interpersonal relationships and their social and cognitive skills as they transition into and through formal education settings.  More specifically, I would like my work to reveal how caregivers’ specific behaviors or attitudes are associated with children’s developmental trajectories.  I believe that this understanding will make it possible to give parents, teachers, and other caregivers the necessary tools to help each child maximize his or her social and cognitive potential.  

As an applied developmental scientist, my skills and type of research questions have continued to be informed by and enhanced through my positions with non-profit and government-based groups.  My experiences in these contexts have given me valuable insight into the challenges that children, who vary in their individual characteristics as well as in their cultural and economic backgrounds, encounter as they negotiate the challenges of school.  The focus of my research remains applied in nature, with strong policy implications.  I have contributed to publications intended to assist practitioners and policymakers in their efforts to support families and improve the lives of children. I will continue to make my work accessible and relevant to those working directly with children and families.

Publications