Profile

Dr. Jelani Mandara Associate Professor, Human Development and Social Policy Annenberg Hall Room 107 2120 Campus Drive Evanston, IL 60208-0001 Phone: (847) 491-4105

Biography

Jelani Mandara is a Family and Developmental Psychologist. His primary research examines the nature and effects of socialization, father’s involvement, and how they interact with gender, race, and SES to impact youths’ academic and social development. His current projects examine the effects of parenting styles on Black, Latino, and White American youth’s academic achievement, sexual activity and behavioral problems. He is also in the process of creating a comprehensive and culturally relevant measure of parenting called the Socialization and Family Environment Scale (SAFE). Further interests include socialization differences between teachers and parents, the achievement gap, and typological or person-centered research methods. He regularly teaches courses and conducts workshops on African American child and adolescent development. He and his wife Keisha are known to test his theories on their three sons, with promising results thus far.

Research/Scholarship
Education

Year		Degree		Institution
2002		PhD, Social/Personality Psychology		University of California, Riverside
1997		BS, Psychology		California State University, Long Beach

Dissertation

Year	Title
2002	Towards a psychological systems theory of goal-directed behavior

Selected Publications

Mandara, J. (2009). Developing parental involvement workshops for African American parents of adolescents. in N. E. Hill & R. K. Chao (Eds.), Family-School Relations during Adolescence: Linking Research, Policy, and Practice.

Mandara, J., Gaylord-Harden, N. K., Richards, M. H., & Ragsdale, B. L. (2009). The effects of changes in racial identity and self-esteem on changes in African American Adolescents’ mental health. . Child Development, 6: 1660–1675.

Mandara, J., Greene, N., & Varner, F., & Richman, S. (2009). Family predictors of the black-white achievement gap in adolescence. . Journal of Educational Psychology..

Varner, F., & Mandara, J. (2009). Do changes in marital status predict changes in African American mothers’ depressive symptoms? . Journal of Family Psychology.

Mandara, J., Varner, F. A., & Richman, S. (2009). Do African American mothers really “love” their sons and “raise” their daughters? . Journal of Family Psychology..

Mandara, J. (2008). Parent-child relations. in W. A. Darity (Ed.), INTERNATIONAL Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (2nd). .

Mandara, J., Johnston, J., Murray, C. B., & Varner, F (2008). Marriage, money, and African American mothers’ self-esteem. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70: 1188 - 1199.

Mandara, J., & Pikes, C. L. (2008). Guilt trips and love withdrawal: Does psychological control predict depressive symptoms among African American adolescents?. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 57: 603 - 611.

Mandara, J. & Murray, C. B. (2007). How African American families can facilitate the academic achievement of their children: Implications for family-based interventions. in J. Jackson, Strengthening the Educational Pipeline for African Americans: Informing Policy and Practice.

Mandara, J. (2006). How family functioning influences African American males' academic achievement: A review and clarification of the empirical literature. Teachers College Record, 10: 205 - 222.
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Teaching/Advising
Courses

HDSP 451-0		Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods and Design This course is designed to teach students the fundamental concepts of quantitative research design, how to develop scientific hypotheses, and how to design experimental, quasi-experimental or correlational studies to test hypotheses. The course will also introduce students to basic statistical concepts such as the logic of hypothesis testing, t-tests, ANOVAs, correlation and regression. Research examples from education, human development and social policy will be highlighted.
SESP 351		Black Child Development The purpose of this course is to help the students complete an outstanding capstone project for the Certificate in Service Learning. In order to achieve this purpose two course objectives need to be fulfilled. First students need to experience and reflect on community capacity building. Second, students need to practice and reflect on community consulting processes.
LRN_SCI 428		Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods and Design This course is designed to teach students the fundamental concepts of quantitative research design, how to develop scientific hypotheses, and how to design experimental, quasi-experimental, or correlational studies to test hypotheses. The course will also introduce students to basic statistical concepts such as the logic of hypothesis testing, t-tests, ANOVAs, correlation, and regression. Research examples from education, human development, and social policy will be highlighted.
MS_ED 402		Social Contexts of Education How social contexts such as families, schools, and the workplace shape individuals; how individuals' intellectual and interpersonal capacities, preferences, and goals are shaped by their social contexts. Societal structures that organize, supply, and channel individual learning experiences and how they provide the formal and informal settings in which social interaction takes place. How participation in these socializing settings molds the development of individuals' capacities and forms their goals.
HDSP 451		Topics in Human Development and Social Policy Topics vary. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
SESP 210		Intro to Stats & Research Definitions and classifications of terms used in quantitative methods; measures of typical and maximum performance, reliability, and validity checks; reporting and displaying data; interpreting results.