Schools as Promotive Contexts for Critical Consciousness Development

Critical consciousness (CC): an individual's awareness of social inequality and their motivation and action to transform systems of oppression. 

Current

• Exploring longitudinal associations between CC, perceptions of school racial climate, and belonging. 

• Evaluating the efficacy of dual interventions designed to support high school students' and educators' CC development and psychological well-being  using a longitudinal, mixed-methods approach. 

Future Directions

• Proposing a model of critical consciousness lifespan development.

• Exploring daily fluctuations in belonging and how this may be impacted by prior days' stress and social support. 

Funded by

• AERA - ERSP grant

Building STEM Capacity

Current

• Designing & implementing Ready Through Research with an AP Psychology teacher aimed at enhancing students' research self-efficacy and science identity. 

• Evaluating the IRES program to understand how this international biological research experience promotes underrepresented students’ research self-efficacy and STEM career intentions.

Future Directions

• Developing and evaluating curriculum interventions designed to improve STEM persistence, STEM identity, and STEM competence with low income, rural partner schools. 

Funded by

• NSF

Building School Climates for Inclusivity, Equity & Belonging

Current

• Exploring factors that encourage underrepresented students' STEM persistence over time (e.g., school racial climate, STEM belonging, class racial composition).

• Identifying pregnant and parenting students' experiences, needs, and recommended policies to encourage well-being and retention in higher education. Learn more about how I advocate for NC State student parents.

Future Directions

• Identifying ways that institutions can and do support student-parent belonging in higher education. 

Funded by

• NSF, NC State University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences Diversity Mini Grant