Assistant Professor of Developmental Studies
(PhD, MA, University of Michigan)

Research Interests

Development of early literacy, language and social skills, early intervention, home and preschool learning, low-income children, research methods, and cross-cultural study.

Contact Information

Child Development and Family Studies Building, Room 214
Purdue University
101 Gates Road
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2020

Phone: (765) 496-1687
Fax: (765) 496-1144

E-mail: seunghee@purdue.edu

Biography
Recent Publications
Education
Courses Recently Taught
Honors
External Grants
Professional Service

Biography

I came to Purdue in fall 2006, right after my Ph.D. in Education at University of Michigan- Ann Arbor . My research focuses on development of school readiness skills including literacy, language, numeracy and self-regulation skills of young children, especially at-risk children in poverty and of ethnic minority.

I am interested in assessing home and preschool learning environments as predictors of literacy and language development through longitudinal research studies. Specifically, in Project Learning Environments , I am examining parental teaching and supports of low-income children's learning as the children approach kindergarten entry by observing home book reading, writing and playing activities. This project has a cross-cultural component focusing on low-income minority families. Parent involvement in school and at home has been another current focus in Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research with Dr. Doug Powell. I am also examining the nature and predictors of behavioral self-regulation skills of preschoolers through international collaboration. Finally, I am interested in developing intervention programs to help literacy skills of at-risk children and investigate the effectiveness of teacher practices in the project Classroom Links to Vocabulary and Phonological Sensitivity Skills with Dr. Doug Powell and Dr. Karen Diamond.

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Recent Publications

Son, S.-H., & Meisels, S.J. (2006). The relationship of young children's motor skills to later school achievement.  Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52(4), 755-778.

Son, S.-H., & Morrison, F.J. (2006). A longitudinal study of home shared book reading of an alphabet book with preschoolers: Differential focus on meaning versus codes. Manuscript in preparation.

Son, S.-H., & Morrison, F.J. (2006). Multiple pathways to changes in the home learning environment; Complex effects of family, parental, and child characteristics. Manuscript in preparation.

Connor, C.M., Son, S.-H., Hindman, A., & Morrison, F.J. (2005). Teacher qualifications, classroom practices, family characteristics, and preschool experiences: Complex effects on first graders' vocabulary and early reading outcomes. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 343-375.

Connor, C.M., Son, S.-H., Hindman, A., & Morrison, F.J. (2005). Teacher qualifications, classroom practices, family characteristics, and preschool experiences: Complex effects on first graders' vocabulary and early reading outcomes. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 343-375.

Son, S.-H. (2005). Direct and indirect impact of family socioeconomic status on children's reading skills at kindergarten entry. Korean Journal of Home Economics, 43(10), 1-15.

Son, S.-H., & Morrison, F.J. (2005). The nature and impact of changes in the home learning environment on growth of language and academic skills of preschool children. Manuscript in preparation.

Son. S.-H., & Morrison, F.J. (2005). The home literacy environment in early childhood research: The case for specificity and multiple pathways. Manuscript in preparation.

Meisels, S.J., Atkins-Burnett, S., Xue, Y., Nicholson, J., Bickel, D.D. , & Son, S.-H. (2003). Creating a system of accountability: The impact of instructional assessment on elementary children's achievement test scores. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 11(9), http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n9.

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Education

• Ph.D. 2006. University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, Early Childhood Education; Child Development.
• M.A. 2003. University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, Education Research Methods.
• M.A. 2001. University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, Early Childhood Education .
• M.H.E. 1999. Seoul National University, Child Development.
• B.S. 1997. Seoul National University, Consumer and Child Studies.

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Courses Recently Taught

CDFS 310: Guidance in Early Childhood
CDFS 405: Curriculum Applications of Language, Literacy, and Social Development in Early Childhood Education
CDFS 615: Research Methods in Child Development and Family Studies
CDFS 685R: Child Development and Family Studies Research Seminar

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Honors

2008 Outstanding Dissertation Award in Human Development, American Educational Research Association, Division E of Counseling and Human Development.

2007 Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association, Early Education and Child Development Special Interest Group.

2007 Selected to participate at the Institute on Statistical Analysis for Education Policy, American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

2006 Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowship, University of Michigan.

2005 Judith and Howard Sims Medal for outstanding paper, University of Michigan.

2005 Selected to participate in the workshop: Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. Ann Arbor, MI.

2005 Selected to participate in the workshop: Understanding the Development of Children from Low-Income Families: Research Opportunities Using Longitudinal Data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES). The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. Ann Arbor, MI.

2004Selected to participate in the workshop: Using Early Head Start data. The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. Ann Arbor, MI.

2002 Selected to participate in the workshop: Using the ECLS-K database for research and policy discussion. National Center for Educational Statistics, US Department of Education, Washington, DC.

2001 Magnolia Fellowship, Seoul National University Alumni Association.

2000-2002 Marguerite Wilker Johnson Award for Childhood Education, University of Michigan.

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External Grants

2008-2009: Principal Investigator, Agricultural Research Program Research Grant, “Home Literacy Environment and Literacy Growth of Low-Income Children: A Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Transition” Awarded $17,000.

2008: Principal Investigator, Purdue Alumni Association Faculty Development Incentive Grants, “Home Literacy and Low-Income Children ’s Literacy Development: A Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Transition” Awarded $3,000.

2007-2010: Investigator, U S. Department of Education, “Classroom Links to Vocabulary and Phonological Sensitivity Skills” Awarded $1,738,508 (D. Powell, PI and , K. Diamond, Co-PI).

2007-2009: Principal Investigator, Purdue Research Foundation Faculty Research Grant, “When Parenting Practices Change (And When They Don’t): A Longitudinal Study of Home Reading Practices, Literacy, and Low-Income Preschoolers” Awarded $14,627.

2007-2008: Principal Investigator, Clifford Kinley Trust Award, “When Parenting Practices Change (And When They Don’t): A Longitudinal Study of Home Reading Practices, Literacy, and Low-Income Preschoolers” Awarded $20,000.

2006: Principal Investigator, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, “Getting Children Ready for Kindergarten: The Nature and Impact of Changes in the Home Learning Environment on the Growth of Early Literacy and Language Skills” Awarded $7,800.

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Professional Service

Member
American Educational Research Association
Society for Research on Child Development
Society for Scientific Study of Reading

Ad Hoc Reviewer
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Journal of Family Issues

Reviewer for Conference Submissions
Conference on Human Development
American Educational Research Association Annual Meetings

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