Xiao-Yin Chen is an assistant professor applied educational psychology in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and director of the Socialization of Motivation in Education (SOME) Research Lab.

A central goal of Chen’s research is to identify social and developmental factors that shape motivation and achievement among students from backgrounds minoritized in their educational contexts (e.g., Black, Latiné, and Indigenous individuals, first-generation college students, or rural, Appalachian learners). In particular, her research investigates how socializers (e.g., social models, mentors, instructors) shape students’ motivation to pursue learning opportunities across adolescence and emerging adulthood. She then applies this knowledge towards designing and implementing motivational interventions to support minoritized learners. These studies shed light on intervention techniques that educational practitioners can employ to address the inequitable underrepresentation of students from minoritized groups in various educational settings. She obtained her M.S. in Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Applied Cognition and Development at the University of Georgia.

You can visit my personal website here: https://x-yinchen.com/