Bio
Jennifer Mendoza Beasley directly served young children and families for over 15 years as an Exceptional Children’s teacher, a parent educator, and as an Exceptional Children’s Preschool Coordinator. Currently as an assistant professor, she teaches and advises students in the Early Education, Family Studies, and Child Development program at North Carolina A&T State University. Her research focuses on the effects of culture on parents’ beliefs, individuals’ understanding of diversity, an exploration of mixed methods inquiry, and on factors related to children’s school readiness. She has a BA in Psychology from Yale University and her MS/PhD are in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Research Interests
Dr. Beasley’s overarching research interests include the effects of culture and race on parents’ beliefs and behaviors, individuals’ understanding of diversity, and an overall exploration of mixed methods inquiry. She has a special focus on the influences on parents’ beliefs on children’s development and school readiness in under-represented and immigrant populations (specifically Latinx), parents’ experiences on the transition to school, and on the process by which individuals in the early childhood field develop cultural competency. Additionally, Dr. Beasley explores how both quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry can be used to inform a deeper understanding of the needs of young children, their families, and communities. Her work has been published in the Journal of School Leadership, the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, and the Early Childhood Education Journal.
