CES 2024
I traveled to Durham, UK for the Cultural Evolution Society 2024 Conference and CES Transformation Fund Capstone Conference in September 2024. My long-term Research Assistant, Arusa Panyakotkaew, also made the journey from Thailand and we shared our work at both conferences.
Arusa served as lead author on our talk given during the main conference, entitled “Buddhist, not Buddhist, Sorta Buddhist? Tracking Religious Change Among Adolescents Over a Decade.” I presented our co-authored talk during the capstone conference, entitled: “Globalized Adolescence: Tracking the Developmental Implications of Modern Globalization in Northern Thailand.” We (mostly) enjoyed the jacket weather and quaint city, in spite of our (mostly) unsuccessful quest for proper British pub grub :)
IACCP 2024
I traveled to Bali, Indonesia to chair two sessions and present recent research findings at the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conference in August 2024.
One forum, Enhancing Cultural Collaborations: A Guided Session for Forging New Connections Within and Across IACCP Regions (chaired by me, co-authored alongside all other IACCP Regional Representative EC members), aimed to help attendees establish connections among one another and learn how the Association can better facilitate both intra- and inter-cultural connections among IACCP members.
I also chaired the Diversity and Universality in Human Development paper session. As part of this session, I presented the results of my fieldwork in Thailand for a talk entitled: “Globalized Adolescence: Comparing the Moral Values of Millennial and Gen Z Adolescents in Thailand.”
“Like Being in Purgatory”
HD&C lab members Cindy Lopez, Nancy Dionicio, Shelby Ford, Meng Thao, & Shazana Virani published their second peer-reviewed publication! Their co-authored journal article examining Hmong American emerging adults’ experiences of biculturalism was published in the “Diverse Methods for Assessing Cultural Identity” Special Issue of Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
The article is available here.
COSS Outstanding Research Award
I was honored to be nominated for, and to receive, the College of Social Sciences Outstanding Faculty Research Award for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Thailand 2023 Fieldwork
Supported by the Cultural Evolution Society and John Templeton Foundation, I returned to Thailand from July—December 2023 to conduct a new wave of data collection with adolescents in Chiang Mai and surrounding villages. This project extends research that began in 2012, tracking stability and change in adolescent values and practices over 11 years, a period marked by dramatic technological transformation—particularly in remote rural communities.
Quantitative data analysis is underway and in-depth interviews are currently being transcribed for qualitative analysis. Stay tuned for project updates!
Golden hour at our rural field site
Enjoying guay teow (noodle soup) with long-term RAs Noona & New between interviews
Riding in a songthaew with our birthday boy Orion
Our 1-year-old daughter Áine made many friends :)
Talk at Wat Suan Dok Temple
On December 13, 2023, I gave a talk to monks and community members at Wat Suan Dok temple in Chiang Mai. The talk offered an overview of early findings from my long-term fieldwork investigating shifts in religious identification, practices, and values across two cohorts of adolescents growing up in rural and urban regions of Chiang Mai province.
Talk title: Same Same—or Different? Tracking Religiosity Among Adolescents in Chiang Mai Over a Decade
Alongside talk attendees - among them, Wat Suan Dok monks and Buddhist studies scholar Brooke Schedneck
Chiang Mai University Seminar Talk
On December 13, 2023, I gave a talk at Chiang Mai University in which I summarized early findings from my long-term fieldwork investigating the developmental implications of globalization.
The abstract is as follows:
Everyone seems to have an opinion about how teens today differ from previous generations as a result of digital media expansion and other forces of globalization. Few research studies, however, have investigated this empirically by simultaneously tracking developmental and cultural change over time. In this seminar, Dr. McKenzie will summarize early findings from field research tracking stability and change in adolescent practices and values in Chiang Mai and Mae On over the course of 11 years. Focusing on media use, moral values, and religiosity, this interactive seminar aims to offer both a wide-reaching overview and targeted portrait of how globalization alters - and does not alter - the development of adolescents growing up in Chiang Mai province.
L-R: Department of Sociology & Anthropology Department head Wasan Panyakaew, Jessica McKenzie, and long-term mentor Wattana Sugunnasil
Workshop for High School Students in Rural Thailand
High school juniors and seniors present Dr. McKenzie and Ms. Penrach with a gift: 30 eggs laid by the hens that the students raise on campus
On December 7, 2023, long-term research assistant Sangsupa Penrach and I visited the rural high school where we conduct fieldwork.
We offered an interactive workshop to high school juniors and seniors, in which we guided students through a meditative exercise with the aim of visioning their futures and living in alignment with their core values.
“The Globalization and Localization of Moral Values”
The journal article that I co-authored alongside Lene Jensen on the tandem effects of globalization and localization on moral values in Thailand was published in the International Journal of Behavioral Development.
The article is available here.
Özyegin University Symposium 2023
On September 12th, I joined my colleagues in offering a talk (sponsored by Özyegin University, Istanbul) on using the Ethical Values Assessment to examine moral values among young people growing up in diverse cultural contexts.
SQIP 2023
With other members of the SQIP 2023 Conference Organizing Committee & (some of the) Executive Committee
In June 2023, I attended the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology Conference in Santa Cruz, CA.
In addition to helping organize this conference (which was great fun!), I presented recent HD&C lab research on how cultural identity mapping centers Hmong American experiences of biculturalism, and chaired the “Innovative Methods” paper session.
“Digital Divides, Generational Gaps, and Cultural Overlaps”
HD&C lab members Rachel Castellón, Emma Willis-Grossman, Cristina Landeros, Joseph Rooney, Cassandra Stewart, and I published our empirical journal article on access to, use of, and perspectives of digital and traditional media across generations and geographic locations in Thailand. This mixed methods study was published in Media Psychology.
The article is available here.
SSEA 2023
In June 2023, I attended the Society for Research on Emerging Adulthood Conference in San Diego, CA.
I presented research co-authored alongside former Honors mentee Macy Davis, examining the intersection of religious identity and ethnic identity development among minoritized emerging adults living in central California. This paper was part of the “Religious Identity” paper session, which I chaired.
Reunited with long-time mentor & dissertation committee member, Jeff Arnett, after many years
“Biculturalism as a Double-Edged Sword”
HD&C lab members Cindy Lopez, Nancy Dionicio, Shelby Ford, Meng Thao, & Shazana Virani are published authors! Their co-authored journal article on the salience, valence, and meaning of biculturalism among Mexican American emerging adults was published in International Journal of Intercultural Relations.
The article is available here.
Interview with Fresno State Ethics Center
In November 2022, I spoke with Dr. Andrew Fiala (Director of the Ethics Center at Fresno State) about the intersection of religion and morality in Thailand and the Central Valley.
For access to the conversation, click on the accompanying link.
Cultural Evolution Society Grant Funding
The generous financial support from the Cultural Evolution Society will enable the establishment of a cross-sequential research design in northern Thailand, in which I and my long-term research assistant will track the developmental implications of cultural change over 11 years in rural and urban settings. Data collection will take place in 2023.
More information about this research project is available on the CES Transformation Fund website. Those interested in participating in this project can sign up via the GYD 2023 tab of this website.
“Negotiating Identities in a Globalized World”
Alongside former HD&C lab members Emily Leighton, Macy Davis, & José Reyes, I recently published a book chapter that addresses how young people who are bicultural by way of globalization and immigration manage multiple custom complexes. To draw these connections, we draw heavily from our research with Hmong emerging adults in Central California and with adolescents in urban Thailand. This piece was published in Katzarska-Miller & Reysen’s Globalized Identities: The Impact of Globalization on Self and Identity (2022, Palgrave Macmillan).
The chapter is available here.
Thailand 2022 Fieldwork
Exploring the countryside with my almost 2-year-old son
I returned to Thailand while on sabbatical in 2022 to engage in longitudinal fieldwork in Chiang Mai and surrounding villages. This wave of data collection tracks the perspectives of Thai youth from adolescence through late emerging adulthood.
In-depth interviews are currently being transcribed - stay tuned for project updates!
Reunited with high school teachers at my rural field site after many years
A young girl keeps herself busy on an iPhone while her mother eats lunch
“Culture and Digital Media in Adolescent Development”
Alongside Dr. Adriana Manago, I co-authored a book chapter that explores how digital media are cultural tools in adolescence. This piece came out in Nesi et al.’s Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health (2022, Cambridge University Press).
The full book is available free of charge here; our chapter begins on page 162.
“Digital Media as Sites for Cultural Identity Development”
My journal article examining how digital media use shapes, and is shaped by, the cultural identity development of Hmong American emerging adults was published in the Journal of Adolescent Research.
The article is available here.
“Diverse Methods for Assessing Cultural Identity” Special Issue
I am guest editing a special issue in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology entitled “Diverse Methods for Assessing Cultural Identity” alongside Adriana Manago.
Abstract deadline: August 31, 2022
Full manuscript deadline: March 31, 2023
“Virtue, Shame, and Choice”
HD&C lab members José Reyes, Kajai Xiong, Alysia Corona, & Chelsee Armsworthy are published authors! Their co-authored journal article on how culture shapes perspectives of sex work was published in Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
The article is available here.
Provost’s Award Lecture
On April 27, 2021, I gave a talk to the Fresno State campus community that addressed how young people psychologically negotiate sociocultural change experienced by way of globalization and immigration.
“Fated for Foreigners”
HD&C lab member + Honors mentee Kajai (Cassie) Xiong is a published author. Her co-authored journal article on how globalization shapes perspectives of transnational marriage has been published in International Journal of Intercultural Relations.
The article is available here.
CCRS 2021
HD&C Lab member + COSS Honors mentee Macy Davis presented the results of her honors project, “The Role of Religion in the Ethnic Identity Development of Bicultural Emerging Adults,” at the 42nd annual Central California Research Symposium on April 14, 2021.
“Negotiating Local and Global Cultures in a Globalized World”
My article on Thai adolescent negotiations of local and global values when considering the future has been published in Journal of Research on Adolescence.
The article is available here.
Cassie Xiong Receives Honors Medal and College-Wide Recognition
Kajai (Cassie) Xiong received a Jordan College Honors Medal on May 4, 2020 for her ethnographic study on cross-cultural, intergenerational views of transnational marriage in northern Thailand. Her co-authored manuscript, which illustrates how ecological realities shape perspectives of intimate intercultural relationships, was published in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations.
Cassie’s excellence in research, academic achievement, and service in the Central Valley and beyond has earned her recognition at department and college levels. She represents the CFS department as our Dean's Medalist nominee, and will serve as a Standard Bearer at the Jordan College commencement. For more information on Cassie and her outstanding achievements, see the May 5th Jordan College senior spotlight.
SRA 2020
I will present on two occasions at the upcoming Society for Research on Adolescence conference in San Diego in March 2020. Presentations will address ongoing international and U.S.-based research on the ways in which culture structures adolescent experiences.
On Friday, March 20th, I will present alongside Emma Grossmann (former HD&C lab member and current Ph.D. student at Texas Tech University). This presentation explores how support and judgement frame the pregnancy experience of Hispanic adolescents in the Central Valley.
On Saturday, March 21st, I will present on the role of culture and cultural change in perspectives of social media in northern Thailand. The latter presentation is part of a symposium entitled Toward a Critical Understanding of Risks in Digital Media: Centering Youth Perspectives and Motivations (organized and chaired by Adriana Manago).
NOTE: SRA was postponed due to COVID-19. Revised presentation dates and times will be posted when available.
International Showcase 2019
HD&C Lab members Kajai (Cassie) Xiong, Alysia Corona, and Jose (Joey) Reyes presented their research on the transformation and maintenance of moral values in globalizing northern Thailand at the International Showcase as part of Fresno State’s International Education Week in November 2019.
L-R: Kajai (Cassie) Xiong, Alysia Corona, & Jose (Joey) Reyes
“Brokering Culture and Power in a Media-Driven World”
HD&C lab members Joseph Rooney, Cassandra Stewart, Rachel Castellón, Cristina Landeros, and Emma Willis are published authors! Their co-authored journal article on globalization-based cultural brokerage has been published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
The article is available here.
IACCP 2019
I traveled to San José, Costa Rica to present two papers at the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conference in July 2019.
One paper, Brokering Culture and Power in a Media-Driven World: The Negotiation of Media Use and Cultural Values Among Northern Thai Parents and Adolescents, was presented as part of The Transmission of Values in a Globalizing World: Adolescent Interactions with Parents, Peers, and Society symposium (organized and chaired by Nicole Summers).
The second paper, Visioning the Self in a Globalized World: Northern Thai Adolescent Negotiations of Local and Global Cultural Values, was presented as part of The Impact of Globalization and Social Change on Pathways of Development symposium (organized and chaired by Michael Weinstock).
JPS 2019
In June 2019, I traveled to Portland, OR to attend the Jean Piaget Society Conference, and to present a paper titled Navigating Local and Global Cultural Values in a Globalized World: The Envisioned Futures of Urban Thai Adolescents.
Provost’s Award for Promising New Faculty
I received the Provost’s Award for Promising New Faculty on May 9, 2019. This award recognizes tenure-track faculty for exemplary achievements in teaching, research, and service. It was a great honor to receive this award alongside six other talented scholars from across the university.
Emma Willis Receives Honors Medal
Emma Willis received a Jordan College Honors Medal on May 6, 2019 for her ethnographic study on how U.S. culture structures and constrains the experiences of pregnant Hispanic youth in the Central Valley. This project is just the beginning of Emma’s contributions to developmental science; beginning in Fall 2019, she will be pursuing her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University.
CCRS 2019
HD&C Lab members present their poster, Transformation and Maintenance of Moral Values in a Globalized World: Perspectives of Sex Work Among Adolescents in Two Thai Communities.
L-R: Dr. McKenzie, Kajai (Cassie), Alysia, Jose (Joey), & Chelsee
The Human Development & Culture Lab was well represented at the 40th annual Central California Research Symposium in Fresno, CA on May 1, 2019.
Emma presents her poster, Finding Their Voice: Support for Pregnant Teens Encourages Self-Reliance, While Judgment Silences.
Current lab members Alysia, Chelsee, Jose, and Kajai presented the results of their research on perspectives of sex work among adolescents residing in variously globalized regions of northern Thailand.
Former lab member Emma Willis presented the findings of her honors project on the psychosocial experiences of once-pregnant teens. Her work points to the roles of stigma and social support in facilitating adaptive and maladaptive forms of self-reliance among pregnant youth in California’s Central Valley.
Edited NDCAD Volume
I am excited to announce that my guest edited special issue, Globalization as a Context for Youth Development, was published in New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development in March 2019.
The articles in this volume (available here) utilize cutting-edge theoretical, methodological, and analytical approaches to examine how youth adapt to, resist against, and agentically draw upon globalization to construct their developmental pathways in locally relevant ways.
Invited Talk at UCSC
I gave an invited talk, entitled Media Practices, Perspectives, and Power Negotiations Among Families in Northern Thailand, at UC Santa Cruz on March 11, 2019. This talk was part of a developmental colloquium series on technology, children, and society.
I also led a roundtable discussion for doctoral psychology students, entitled Interrogation of Self in Science: Honing Research Ideas and Identities.
Outstanding Faculty Publication Award 2019
Dr. Jessica McKenzie with Dr. Katie Dyer (Child and Family Science Department Chair, CSU Fresno) at Award Ceremony
My recently published article, Divine Self and Selves: Religious Practices and Orientations Toward Religion Among Adolescents in Globalizing Northern Thailand, received an Outstanding Faculty Publication Award. It was honored at the Reception and Exhibition of Outstanding Faculty Publications on March 8, 2019.
The article, co-authored with former HD&C lab members, was published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
“Divine Self and Selves”
Former HD&C lab members, Sarah Tsutsui and Seema Prakash, are published authors! Their co-authored journal article on the reshaping of adolescent orientations toward religion in rapidly changing northern Thailand has been published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
The article is available here.
Kajai Xiong Inducted into Jordan College Honors Program
Kajai (Cassie) Xiong (fourth from the right) with fellow Honors Program members after the induction ceremony
Kajai Xiong was inducted into the Jordan College Honors Program on November 26, 2018.
Kajai, who is investigating moral reasoning across contexts of globalization under my guidance, will graduate with a B.S. in Child Development in Spring 2020.
International Showcase 2018
Emma Willis, Child and Family Science honors student and HD&C lab member, and I presented two research projects at the International Showcase as part of Fresno State’s International Education Week.
Dr. McKenzie and Emma Willis
Globalization and Youth Development Project Funded
My upcoming research project had received two grants/awards. These grants will support longitudinal data collection with Thai youth whom I first interviewed in 2012.
Society for Research in Child Development Early Career Scholar Small Grant
Chancellor's Office Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Award, California State University, Fresno
Data collection will take place in 2022.
HD&C Lab Awards
L-R: Cassandra Stewart, Dr. McKenzie, Cristina Landeros, & Rachel Castellón
Two HD&C lab members received prestigious awards at the Child and Family Science Awards Ceremony on May 11, 2018:
Cristina Landeros received a Certificate of Academic Excellence for her outstanding academic performance. She was also recognized for graduating Cum Laude.
In addition to receiving a Certificate of Academic Excellence, Cassandra Stewart was honored as the department's Student Achiever (the top departmental award), as the department's Dean's Medalist Nominee, and as Jordan College Standard Bearer. She was further recognized for graduating Magna Cum Laude.
I received the inaugural Teaching Excellence Award from the Department of Child and Family Science.
What a rewarding year it has been in the lab and in the classroom!
“Shifting Practices, Shifting Selves”
My journal article on negotiations of local and global dietary and linguistic practices among adolescents in northern Thailand has been published in Child Development.
The article is available here.
CCRS 2018
The Human Development & Culture Lab presented twice at the 39th annual Central California Research Symposium in Fresno, CA on April 25, 2018. Cassandra, Cristina, Emma, Joseph, and Rachel first presented Envisioned Futures and Folk Theories of Success Among Rural and Urban Thai Adolescents, followed by Media in the Family: Globalization Reshapes Lives and Relationships of Adolescent-Parent Dyads in Northern Thailand.
Their Media in the Family: Globalization Reshapes Lives and Relationships of Adolescent-Parent Dyads in Northern Thailand poster presentation received an Honorable Mention Poster Award.
SRA 2018
After Globalization and Media Use Among Global Youth symposium (with presentations from Dr. Ferguson, Dr. Manago, Dr. McKenzie, and Cagla Giray, and discussion led by Dr. Larson).
L-R: Dr. Reed Larson (UIUC), Cagla Giray (UIUC), Dr. Gail Ferguson (UIUC), Dr. Adriana Manago (UCSC), & Dr. Jessica McKenzie
The results of a Human Development & Culture Lab study on perceptions of media's influence on family relationships among urban Thai dyads were shared with the Society for Research on Adolescence community in Minneapolis on April 13, 2018.
I presented our invited paper, Technology in the Family: Media Practices, Perceptions, and Negotiations Among Adolescents and Parents in Northern Thailand, at the Globalization and Media Use Among Global Youth symposium (organized and chaired by Adriana Manago).
Emma Willis Inducted into Jordan College Honors Program
Dr. Jessica McKenzie and Emma Willis at the Jordan Honors Program Welcome Reception
Emma Willis was inducted into the Jordan College Honors Program on November 6, 2017.
Emma, who is investigating young women's psychosocial experiences of pregnancy in adolescence under my guidance, will graduate with a B.S. in Child Development in Spring 2019.
Emma has been involved in multiple international projects over the past several years, including in Guatemala, Haiti, and Thailand.
Outstanding Faculty Publication Award 2017
L-R: Dr. Katie Dyer, Dr. Jessica McKenzie, & Sean McColgan
I was honored for my recently published article, Globalization and Moral Personhood: Dyadic Perspectives of the Moral Self in Rural and Urban Thai Communities, at the Reception and Exhibition of Outstanding Faculty Publications on March 3, 2017.
The article, published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, is available here.
SRCD 2017
Dr. Adriana Manago (UC Santa Cruz) and Dr. Jessica McKenzie at The Upsides and Downsides of Globalization and Remote Acculturation for the Well-Being of Youth in the Majority World symposium
The April 2017 Society for Research in Child Development Conference in Austin, Texas was eventful for me and the HD&C Lab!
I organized and chaired the Globalization and Selves: Adolescent Identities and Imagined Futures in a Diverse World paper symposium. As part of this symposium, I presented a paper titled (Re)constructing Moral Selves in Globalizing Northern Thailand.
I was also invited to present a paper on my qualitative approach to studying life course narratives in the Unique Approaches to Capturing Culture as Process in Human Development paper symposium (organized and chaired by Allison DiBianca Fasoli). This talk, coauthored with Dr. Lene Jensen (Clark University), was titled Moral Reasoning as Cultural Process: Evangelical and Mainline Protestants' Culturally Constituted Moral Life Course Narratives.
The HD&C Lab's poster, Divine Self and Selves: Adolescent Orientations Toward Religion in Globalizing Northern Thailand, was presented twice: once as part of The Upsides and Downsides of Globalization and Remote Acculturation for the Well-Being of Youth in the Majority World poster symposium (organized and chaired by Gail Ferguson), and again as part of the Pre-Conference on Religious and Spiritual Development.
Fresno State Campus News Feature Article
My research was featured in the Fresno State Campus News on October 3, 2016. For access to the feature article, click on the accompanying image.
IACCP 2016
The HD&C Lab traveled to Nagoya, Japan to share their work at the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Congress in August 2016.
Sarah Tsutsui and Seema Prakash presented a paper titled Perceptions of Buddhism and Buddhist Monasticism in Northern Thailand: A Dyadic, Multi-Sited Study.
I co-organized and co-chaired a paper symposium titled Youth Development in Contexts of Globalization and Cultural Change. As part of this symposium, I presented a paper titled "I Don't Think Things can be Like They are Forever": Dyadic Perceptions of Cultural Values and Change in Urban and Rural Thai Communities.
After Youth Development in Contexts of Globalization and Sociocultural Change symposium (with presentations from Drs. Ferguson, Manago, & McKenzie)
L-R: Cagla Giray (UIUC), Dr. Gail Ferguson (UIUC), Dr. Jessica McKenzie, Dr. Adriana Manago (UCSC), Sarah Tsutsui, & Seema Prakash
Sarah presents HD&C Lab research
HD&C Lab celebrates post-presentation
CCRS 2016
Sarah and Seema gave an invited plenary session presentation on their research in the HD&C Lab at the 37th annual Central California Research Symposium in Fresno, CA on April 20, 2016.
Their talk was titled Intergenerational and Cultural Perceptions of Buddhist Practices and Beliefs in Northern Thailand: A Dyadic, Multi-Sited Study.
Thailand 2016 Fieldwork
I returned to Thailand in summer 2016, where I conducted follow-up ethnographic fieldwork in Chiang Mai and surrounding villages.
At a Chiang Mai high school's French Bastille Day celebration
A villager showing me his most prized possession: A photograph of him in the presence of the late Thai king, Bhumibol Adulyadej
Inside Wat Suan Dok ("Flower Garden Temple") in Chiang Mai
CSU Fresno Research-in-Progress Presentation
Sarah and Seema were invited to share their HD&C Lab research-in-progress with the California State University, Fresno campus community in a talk sponsored by the Department of Child, Family and Consumer Sciences.
Their talk, Divine Self and Selves: Intergenerational Perceptions of Religion in Northern Thailand, took place on March 8, 2016.
Outstanding Faculty Publication Award 2016
I was honored for my recently published invited book chapter, Applications and Extensions of Realistic Conflict Theory: Moral Development and Conflict Prevention, at the Reception and Exhibition of Outstanding Faculty Publications on March 4, 2016.
The chapter, published in Norms, Groups, Conflict, and Social Change, is available here.
SRA 2016
In March 2016, I traveled to Baltimore, MD to attend the Society for Research on Adolescence Conference.
I organized and chaired the “Adolescent Developments in Contexts of Globalization: The Impact of Cultural Change on Individual and Family Values and Behaviors” paper symposium. As part of this symposium, I presented a paper titled Globalization and the Double-Gap of Moral Values: Dyadic Perceptions of Moral Self and Society in Rural and Urban Thai Contexts.
