Our positive youth development research aims to advance the applied developmental science of identity. This is a science with an explicit sense of humanistic values whose objective is the improvement of the human condition and the life chances of every human. Our goal is to connect theoretical models of self and identity to programs and practices to help young people form positive adult identities.
Current Projects
Here is a list of projects we are currently working on:
Here is a list of projects we are currently working on:
- Exploring College Students’ Sense of Purpose in Life. This project is about students’ views on their sense of purpose in life and factors that contribute to developing purpose. Currently, we are investigating the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey as a tool for assessing college students' engagement in meaningful extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
- Connectedness Online: An Investigation of Course Processes. This project is about college students’ views on their social experiences in online and face-to-face classes. Currently, we are examining structural differences in college students' experiences of social integration--their sense of belongingness--in online and face-to-face classes.
- Identity Challenges in Academic Culture. This project is about college students’ adjustment to academic culture and how it might influence mental health. Currently, we are evaluating a new model of the latent structure of identity distress and examining identity distress as a predictor of psychological distress.
- Life Skills Development in the Service Industry. This project is about students’ views of their experiences working in service industry jobs, such as retail, food service, and other jobs in direct contact with customers. Currently, we are investigating relations among working college students' perceptions of their identity capital, role responsibilities, and being an emerging adult.
Current Collaborations
Ongoing research collaborations include:
Ongoing research collaborations include:
- Working with the TARDIS Lab at the University of Texas at San Antonio on research related to young people's identity development.
- Working with the Applied Developmental Science Research Group at Stockholm University on research on interventions for children and adolescents.
Past Research
Click on the link below for a summary of the research that we have produced, organized by year:
Research Products
Click on the link below for a summary of the research that we have produced, organized by year:
Research Products