Current Projects

One of my lines of research focuses on biculturalism and its effects on mental health and behavioral outcomes. Biculturalism is defined as a specific acculturation trajectory among adolescents and young adults who experience at least two different sets of social contexts (e.g., Native American students living in a reservation and attending school in Flagstaff). Biculturalism is the process of psychological change defined as the acquisition of social skills (e.g., bilingualism), roles, values, and dual identities (e.g., Mexican-American) that facilitate the successful navigation of different cultural environments. My research lab is examining the following overarching question: How do bicultural students navigate school and college environments effectively? In other words, what are the correlates of high academic achievement and mental health outcomes among bicultural ethnic minority students? 

My other line of research focuses on cognitive assessment and its role in learning disability diagnosis. School psychologists routinely conduct psychoeducational evaluations involving instruments to assess general intelligence (IQ) among other areas relevant to development and educational achievement. School psychologists’ evaluations are an integral part of disability diagnosis in school settings, and are also used by government agencies to determine eligibility for social service benefits. Most, if not all of the current cognitive assessment instruments are constructed following the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence; however, emerging research suggests that the CHC model, as well as diagnostic practices based on the CHC model need to be validated and refined to be generalizable, particularly among diverse student populations. The overarching question for this line of research is: What are empirically-supported practices in assessment and diagnosis of learning disabilities, including among culturally and linguistically diverse student populations?

These two lines of research (acculturation and mental health; cognitive assessment and disability diagnosis) merge to form a bilingual and multicultural school psychology research and practice framework (Figure 1).