Faculty Collective-April Taylor
April Taylor is a professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development. Dr. Taylor's research interests lie in the general domain of the development of motivation and more specifically concern motivation for academic achievement among urban minority youth. Her research program examines social, cultural, and social-psychological influences on achievement motivation, and the identification of theory guided motivation-enhancing practices. Her commitment to studying achievement motivation patterns has resulted in two distinct programs of research. The first entails academic motivation and social skills enhancing interventions. This includes collaborative work on a theory driven intervention aimed at increasing prosocial skills and academic motivation among at risk students. The second line of research, investigates the role of values in understanding student academic achievement and motivation. Students who participate in this research will design surveys, collect data, learn quantitative statistics to assist with analyses, and have an opportunity to present at professional conferences.