BA in Human Development and Family Science
The Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) program focuses to educate students through quality instruction and experiential learning in lifespan human development and family science by fostering critical thinking and the research, communication, and career-ready skills that prepare them to become professionals in service to individuals and families.
Lin Grodi
Lin Grodi
Senior, Human Development and Family Science
Teacher-Family Communication among Latinx Immigrant Families and Teachers of Young Latinx children during COVID-19
The research: Grodi said the overarching focus of her study is family engagement. She examined teacher-family communication during the pandemic among Latinx immigrant parents and teachers whose students’ parents were immigrants of Latinx descent.
Why the research is important: According to Grodi’s research, the nature of online learning provided teachers a wider window to better understand students and families. Moving forward, technology can continue to play an important role in supporting ongoing communication between parents and teachers. Interpreters are essential in breaking down language barriers, so that parents can be invited as partners into their children’s education. Grodi said that this is even more significant for communication and relationships across parents and teachers from different cultural backgrounds.
Quotable: “The findings from Lin's project provide important insight for the early childhood field in terms of how we might build on the momentum of the lessons learned during the pandemic to further support families and teachers in building reciprocal relationships through two-way communication," said Colleen Vesely, associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development, who served as Grodi’s mentor.
—Lauren Reuscher
