Sumie Okazaki - US grants

DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Abstract): The purpose of this MSDA/NMF application is to provide the candidate with training in theory and methods for assessing non-self-report measures of affective distress (i.e., third person reports, clinicians ratings, facial expressions, and psychophysiological activities) to complement her existing expertise in Asian American mental health. Secondarily, the application will also allow the applicant to expand her theoretical knowledge of cultural theories within the emerging interdisciplinary framework of cultural psychology. This application is designed to provide the candidate with the necessary knowledge and research skills to pursue her immediate career goal of developing a program of research that examines cross-cultural validity of depression and social anxiety among Asian Americans. The research program will build a series of studies to examine ethnic and cultural variations between Asian Americans and White Americans in (a) their beliefs and meaning associated with items in the common self-report measures of depression and social anxiety, (b) the severity of dysfunctions and clinical syndromes associated with high score on the self-report measures of depression and social anxiety, (c) the psychophysiological and facial behavioral correlates of depression and social anxiety, and (d) the relationship between culturally-derived personality factors and affective regulation patterns that occur among the three levels of affective distress (verbal self-report of subjective experience, facial behavior, and psychophysiological response). The proposed program incorporates course work, research training, and consultation with experts in psychophysiology, behavioral observation, clinical interviewing, and cultural psychology to provide the candidate with the requisite knowledge to implement proposed studies. With respect to long term career goals, the proposed MSDA training provides the applicant with a unique combination of expertise in laboratory-based methods for examining cultural variables in affective regulation and psychopathology. The applicant's institution is strongly supportive of these goals. The proposed MSDA training would contribute substantially to the candidate's development as an independent and leading investigator in these areas of research.

This project aims to serve the national interest by studying ways to broaden participation in STEM education and careers, particularly for youth of color. To do so, it will complete a research study focused on immigrant youth of color in New York City, which has large immigrant communities and the largest public-school system in the nation. The project is designed to examine how immigrant youth of color form their STEM identities and navigate pathways from kindergarten into the labor force. The project includes three studies. The first study will use a large dataset that follows students from NYC public schools into the City University of New York two-year and four-year colleges. The goal of this study is to identify points at which many immigrant students move away from a STEM pathway. The second study will be based on interviews with students and their families to understand how they use information and resources to make decisions about their persistence on STEM pathways. The final study is designed to use the results from the first two studies to provide policy and practice recommendations for key educational stakeholders.

Using a mixed methods approach, the project team will address three research questions that correspond to the three studies described above: (1) What key educational stages are critical points along the STEM pathway? (2) How are decisions made and knowledge gathered by students and families at these key points? (3) How can insights from these analyses inform programmatic and policy interventions to increase STEM inclusion among immigrant youth of color? To address research question one, the project team will use techniques such as growth curve and hierarchical regression modeling to identify educational stages where immigrant youth of color leave STEM pathways, explore potential determinants that might explain departures, and identify potential disparities in the economic returns of STEM credentials. To address the second research question, the project team will use initial findings to identify points of greatest divergence along STEM pathways. The researchers will then collect and analyze qualitative data from 30 immigrant families with children who have STEM interests. Prompts will relate to the ways in which families navigated access to information, resources, decision-making, and goal setting associated with the pursuit of STEM fields. Finally, the project team will identify real-world implications of the findings and disseminate them to local, state, and federal stakeholders. By addressing these three research questions, the project is designed to promote access among immigrant youth of color to STEM education and career preparation, which can ultimately result in a more diverse and productive STEM workforce. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.