Project REAL (Relationships, Experiences, and Adaptation in daily Life)
Project REAL (Relationships, Experiences, and Adaptation in daily Life) employs an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) burst design to capture, in real time, the day-to-day experiences of families and adolescents. After measurement and protocol refinement, data collection will begin in Spring 2025. The sample will include 150 African American families, including parents and adolescents (mother–adolescent; father–adolescent). Study methods include survey measures, daily […]
MOSAIC (Mothers Socializing to Affirm Identity & Culture)
The MOSAIC (Mothers Socializing to Affirm Identity & Culture) examines the complex dynamics of mother–daughter relationships, focusing on how mothers’ social identities, beliefs, and lived experiences shape their parenting and socialization practices. This short-term longitudinal study explores how mothers engage in culturally centered communications and forms of involvement that can support daughters’ development and well-being. […]
Supporting Educators to Help Students Thrive During the Pandemic and Beyond
This collaborative, multidisciplinary project (Economics, Psychology and Neuroscience, and Education) examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped North Carolina’s educator workforce. Using a multi-method approach, the research integrates teacher working conditions surveys, personnel and school-level data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and qualitative interviews led by the Strengths, Assets, and Resilience (StAR) Lab. […]
Youth-LEAD
The Youth-LEAD (Learning and Empowering through Agriculture to Promote Development) Ambassadors program is a community-led partnership aimed at developing and promoting youth-based agricultural learning, food justice, and wellness in Edgecombe County. Funded by UNC’s Whole Community Connection Initiative, this partnership offers hands-on learning opportunities for youth that enhance STEM knowledge as well as emphasize the […]
Parents in Communities Study
This investigation explores community-level factors associated with parenting practices among Black American parents. Data collected, which was completed in 2023, includes a national sample of 350 Black American mothers/maternal caregivers and 350 Black American fathers/paternal caregivers of adolescents. Study measures include neighborhood and community characteristics (current experiences and childhood experiences) as well as multiple parenting […]
Representations of Fatherhood: Roles, Awareness, & MEaning (ReFRAME Study)
Numerous scholars have discussed the multigenerational impacts of negative stereotypes and deficit perspectives regarding African American fathers. Still, outside of qualitative studies, very little research has examined how stereotype awareness shapes African American fathers’ parenting ideologies and practices. The current project has 2 primary aims: 1) refine a measure of race-specific fathering ideologies among a […]