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- Creators: Eaton, John
In study 1, I investigated how parents’ endorsements of values associated with both mainstream and heritage cultures relate to adolescents’ bicultural competence. Longitudinal growth model analyses revealed that parents’ endorsements of mainstream and heritage values simultaneously work to influence adolescents’ bicultural competence. By examining the effect of multiple and often competing familial contextual influences on adolescent bicultural competence development, this work provides insights on intergenerational cultural transmission and advances scholarship on the culturally bounded nature of human development.
In study 2, I offer a substantial extension to decades of family stress model research focused on how family environmental stressors may compromise parenting behaviors and youth development by testing a culturally informed family stress model. My model (a) incorporates family cultural and ecological stressors, (b) focuses on culturally salient parenting practices aimed to teach youth about the heritage culture (i.e., ethnic socialization), and (c) examines bicultural competence as a developmental outcome. Findings suggest that parents’ high exposure to ecological stressors do not compromise parental ethnic socialization or adolescent bicultural competence development. On the other hand, mothers’ exposures to enculturative stressors can disrupt maternal ethnic socialization, and in turn, undermine adolescents’ bicultural competence. By examining the influence of multiple family environmental stressors on culturally salient parenting practices, and their implications for adolescent bicultural competence development, this work provides insights on ethnic-racial minority and immigrant families’ adapting cultures and advances scholarship on the family stress model.
Supply & Demand, the phrase speaks to the tango between college graduates seeking employment & employers seeking talent. Recruiters desire candidates with employability skills to lead, but report significant skill gaps among applicants. This thesis aims to (1) define the skills gap evidenced by employers, (2) determine students’ career preparedness, and (3) identify strategies to bridge the gap among undergraduate students as they prepare to join the workforce. Qualtrics, an experience management, and survey platform, was used to reach and collect information from nearly 1,200 students in order to quantitatively assess their career development skills and needs. As part of this thesis, I have partnered with the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development, a center of Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University in an effort to test and provide effective solutions to bridge the employability skills gap. Through this collaboration, we have constructed a Career Development Workshop Series for students using the data collected from students. The workshop was built to teach students about professional skill topics that they desired to learn about, but could not find on or off-campus. The Lewis Center Career Development Workshop is a 5-part series with topics ranging from negotiation and job interviewing to strength-building. In each workshop, an expert is selected as the guest speaker to share their experience and insights with students as they prepare for their career journeys. Guest speakers include CEOs, entrepreneurs, business executives, and more. The series is intended to deepen students’ business acumen, so they can enter the workforce with a sustainable advantage and ultimately supported the professional and personal growth of over 100 students. The series serves as an example of ways our university can improve its career development offerings to students. In an increasingly competitive labor market, the research collected and solutions presented are designed to empower students in their careers.