Children & Youth
Early Childhood Interventions
Research in early childhood education focuses specifically on understanding the relations between home and school factors that contribute to children's positive developmental and learning outcomes. A primary research focus is on the design and evaluation of targeted interventions that support the development of children's social, cognitive and academic competence.
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Early Childhood provides opportunities for collaborative and independent research in early childhood education, including three studies of professional development interventions and two studies of curriculum-based interventions.
- child care quality and young children's development in early care and education contexts
- development and evaluation of interventions with early childhood teachers that support the academic and social development of young children at-risk
- development and evaluation of professional development interventions with pre-kindergarten teachers aimed at enhancing the early literacy and language development of at-risk preschoolers
- home and preschool learning environment and parental involvement in education on young children's language, literacy and numeracy skills learning
- relationship between pre-academic skills and social-emotional development in preschool-aged children
- more
Diversity and Culture
Diversity is an integral part of all societies and groups. Scholars from different theoretical perspectives and interests investigate variability and similarities across groups in developmental and family outcomes in several domains. Research focuses on the processes linked to group (i.e. culture, social class) variation and commonality.
- child-parent relationships and parenting practices across cultures
- children's perceptions of conflict in varying political settings
- pathways to literacy readiness across culturally, socially, and economically diverse groups
- preschoolers' perceptions and interactions with children with disabilities
- more
Relationships
Human beings are inherently social creatures. Familial relationships set a foundation and provide a context for emotional, social, and cognitive achievements. Departmental research considers how parents, siblings, friends, in-laws, stepparents or children, and other social partners influence each other's well-being and development. Research covers the life-span from infancy to old age, looking at individuals and families.
- child-parent attachment relationships in infancy and early childhood
- parent-child relationship and how parents talk with children about difficult topics
- parenting and home learning environment during early childhood
- sibling influence on family relationships and individual adjustment
- teacher-caregiver relationships with infants and toddlers in early childhood programs
- more
Families & Health
Health concerns are central to family life across the developmental spectrum. Parents of young children often closely monitor their children's health. Youth gradually develop greater responsibility for managing their healthcare. Families become increasingly important as adults face health care changes in old age. Particular areas of study are well-being and physical health in later-life, family functioning, and coping with cancer.
- family processes related to youth's family relationships and individual adjustment from adolescence into early adulthood
- sibling influence on one another's health risk behaviors in adolescence and early adulthood
- more
Military Families
The composition of our country’s armed forces has changed over time — we are increasingly relying on service members in the National Guard and Reserves who are more likely to have families they must leave behind to go to war. This shift in demographics has brought new challenges for military families, especially children.
- Adjustments among adolescents in military families when a parent is deployed
- Family adjustment of wounded military members
- more