Sandra Simpkins, Ph.D.
PROFESSOR Sandi, Ph.D. in psychology, is a professor in the School of Education. She received the William T. Grant Young Scholars Award and National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study how families, friendships, and social position factors (such as, ethnicity and culture) shape adolescents’ organized after-school activities and STEM motivation. She is currently working on research focused on the positive outcomes of youth’s participation in activities as well as the predictors and correlates of high school students’ STEM motivational beliefs. Click here for Sandra's full curriculum vitae. |
Perla Ramos Carranza
DOCTORAL STUDENT Perla is interested in researching the educational trajectories of children and youth from underserved communities, such as those coming from an immigrant, ethnic minority and/or low-socioeconomic background. Particularly, she is interested in how family involvement and in-school and after-school programs support the educational development of children and youth from these communities, and whether there are ways to improve the support and effectiveness from these two sources. |
Diane (Ta-yang) Hsieh
DOCTORAL STUDENT Diane’s research interests include academic motivation, after-school programs, and cultural differences in adolescent development. Diane is passionate about teaching, and ultimately Diane aims to be a professor back home in Taiwan. Diane graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with B.A. in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies, in addition to a minor in criminal justice. When not reading or writing, Diane enjoys all kinds of sports in the outdoors. |
Su Jiang
DOCTORAL STUDENT Su's research interests focus on the development of adolescents' math and science motivation and its impact on choices and achievement. Su aims to promote diversity and equity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) through understanding how development of motivation differs across race/ethnicity, gender, immigration status, and socioeconomic status, and how children’s motivation is socialized in home and school. |
Glona Lee
DOCTORAL STUDENT Glona is a doctoral student specializing in Human Development in Context (HDiC). She studies motivational factors that influence students’ academic performance and resilience and the impact of social and environmental factors on adolescent development. In particular, she is interested in investigating the roles that social agents play in immigrant youths’ adaptation to their new environment and ways to foster their well-being. |
Yangyang Liu
DOCTORAL STUDENT Yangyang is a doctoral student specializing in Human Development in Context (HDiC). Yangyang examines the quality of experiences in organized after-school activities for youth from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. She examines how after-school activities promote positive youth development within the broader ecological system of development. |
Ting-Lan Ma
VISITING SCHOLAR Ting-Lan received her Ph.D. in Human Development area, Educational Psychology with a minor in prevention science from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently collaborating with people in School of Education at UCI, while simultaneously fulfills her remote faculty position as an assistant professor of Education, and assistant of research director in Education Leadership Doctoral Program at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. Her research interests focus on multiple ecological system influences on adolescent psycho-social development including culture, parenting practices, and peer relation. Her most recent research focuses on defending in school bullying across childhood and adolescence, adolescent development in cross-cultural setting, socio-emotional factors predicting traditional and cyber-bullying, and organized activities among ethnicity minority youth. Click here for Ting-Lan’s full curriculum vitae. |
Kayla Puente
DOCTORAL STUDENT Kayla is a second-year doctoral student specializing in Human Development in Context (HDiC). Kayla is interested in studying the role of cultural factors, such as familism, in the socio-emotional and academic development of Latinx adolescents. She is also interested in studying how parent, teacher and peer relationships are related to academic motivation and achievement. |
Stephanie Soto-Lara
DOCTORAL STUDENT Stephanie is a Latina Ph.D. student in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. She received her B.A. in psychology with a minor in education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Stephanie's research interests include the educational trajectories of underrepresented youth; adolescent development, psychosocial outcomes, and engagement in after-school activities. Her goal is to conduct research that will empower communities similar to the one she came from. In her free time, she enjoys mentoring youth, playing musical instruments, and spending time with family and friends. |
Nestor Tulagan
DOCTORAL STUDENT Nestor is a fourth-year doctoral student at UCI's School of Education. His areas of research are human development, social contexts, and motivational beliefs. Broadly, his research focuses on parental socialization processes shaping the educational and psychological outcomes of youth. His current projects examine the forms, frequency, and functions of the involvement strategies in which ethnic-minority parents engage to effect domain-specific skill development and to minimize risks and challenges for adolescents transitioning into high school. |
Mark Vincent Yu
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW Mark is a National Science Foundation SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Education at UCI. Mark’s research interests focus on socio-ecological and strengths-based approaches to youth development. He is particularly inerested in understanding how supportive relationships (with parents, peers and non-parental adults) and settings (e.g., schools, afterschool programs) serve as ecological assets in youth’s lives. |