Evidence for Education

On this episode of the E4E Podcast we catch up with Dr. Mellissa Gordon, an associate professor at the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development. Mellissa’s research focuses on the ways that at-risk families and their communities impact adolescent and young adult developmental outcomes. She is particularly interested in the mechanisms underlying family and community relations, and explores the complex ways that interactions between these systems (families, communities, and youth) inform youth and young adult outcomes. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory, Ecological Theory, and Positive Youth Development, Mellissa aims to identify protective factors that can mitigate the adverse circumstances that emerge in the lives of ethnoracial minority youth, and to promote meaningful, sustainable, life-long success. Today, Mellissa discusses the impact of parental involvement on academic achievement, as well as other factors such as economic adversity and community disadvantage that can play a role in adolescent academic achievement.

Episode Based on:

• Gordon, M. S., & Cui, M. (2018). The intersection of race and community poverty and its effect on adolescents’ academic achievement. Youth & Society, 50(7), 947-965.
• Gordon, M. S. (2017). Community disadvantage and academic achievement among Hispanic adolescents: The role of familism. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26, 3303-3311.
• Gordon, M. S. (2017). Self-perception and relationship quality as mediators of father's school-specific involvement and adolescent's academic achievement. Children and Youth Services Review, 77, 94-100.
• Gordon, M., & Cui, M. (2014). School‐related parental involvement and adolescent academic achievement: The role of community poverty. Family Relations, 63(5), 616-626.

More Information Section:

Mellissa’s email: [email protected]

Mellissa’s Faculty Page: https://www.cehd.udel.edu/faculty-bio/mellissa-gordon/

Mellissa’s CV:

Mellissa’s Work:

Projects the Guest is working on:

1. Gordon, M.S. & Ohannessian, C. Social media use, internalizing symptoms and

externalizing problems: A conditional process analysis.

2.Garg, M., Gordon, M.S., & Ohannessian, C. (2023). Parent-child communication and

early adolescents’ coping strategies: The mediating role of sibling relationship.

3. Gordon, M.S. & Ohannessian, C. (2023). Social media use and early adolescents'

internalizing symptoms: The moderating role of family functioning.