Marie-Anne Suizzo studies parent-child relationships across cultures and ethnic groups. She examines how parent-child interactions and parenting practices shape adolescents' academic and social-emotional development. The outcomes she investigates include achievement motivation, school engagement, cultural beliefs and values, and social-emotional well-being.
Parents can play an important role in helping adolescents deal effectively with the challenges of school transitions, such as the transitions to middle school and to college. The aim of Dr. Suizzo's research is to gain a deeper understanding of the unique cultural strengths that parents utilize in socializing and supporting their children during these times. She is particularly interested in the challenges faced by low-income and ethnic minority adolescents, including racial and ethnic discrimination and economic disadvantage. Dr. Suizzo has conducted research in Mexican American, African American, Asian American, and European American families. Because her research questions span the disciplines of psychology and anthropology, she uses both quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry.
More recently, Dr. Suizzo has extended her research program in two, related directions. First, she is investigating the unique roles of fathers and mothers in adolescents' development, looking at differences in parent-child relationships by adolescent gender. Second, she is studying parent-adolescent conversations as a means of academic and emotional socialization, and the potential effects of those conversations on school engagement and social-emotional well-being.
Ed.D.
in Human Development and Psychology, Harvard University, 1997
M.Ed.
in Human Development and Psychology, Harvard University, 1993
M.A.
in Education, Specialization in Anthropology, Stanford University, 1987
B.A.
in Government, Georgetown University, 1981
Studies how cultural beliefs and values shape parent-child relationships, parental socialization, and children's and adolescents' development and learning.
Suizzo, M.-A.. (2021). Conceptualizing culture in research on parenting and child development: Carving, categorizing, and communicating. Applied Developmental Science, 25(2), 95-105. doi:.
Suizzo, M.-A.., Tedford, L.. & McManus, M.. (2019). Parental socialization beliefs and long-term goals for young children among three generations of Mexican American mothers.. Journal of Child and Family Studies., 28((10)), 2813-2825..
Suizzo, M. A., Rackley, K., Robbins, P., Jackson, K. M., Rarick, J. D. & McClain, S. (2017). The unique effects of fathers warmth on adolescents positive beliefs and behaviors: Pathways to resilience in low-income families. Sex Roles, 77(1-2), 46-58.
Suizzo, M. A., Jackson, K., Pahlke, E., McClain, S., Marroquin, Y., Blondeau, L. & Hong, K. (2016). Parents school satisfaction and academic socialization predict adolescents autonomous motivation: A mixed-method study of low-income ethnic minority families. Journal of Adolescent Research, 31(3), 343-37.
Suizzo, M. A., Pahlke, E., Chapman-Hilliard, C. & Harvey, K. (2016). African American and Mexican American youths college adjustment and perceptions of parental academic socialization: Interactions between ethnicity and parental education.. Journal of Research on Human Development, 13, 241-257.
Suizzo, M., Pahlke, E., Yarnell, L., Chen, K. & Romero, S. (2014). Home-based parental involvement in young childrens learning across U.S. ethnic groups: Cultural models of academic socialization. Journal of Family Issues, 35(2), 254-287.
Excellence in Teaching Award
- Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin (2020 - 2021)
