Sandra Graham

Distinguished Professor

Sandra Graham is a Professor in the Human Development and Psychology division in the Department of Education at UCLA and the University of California Presidential Chair in Education and Diversity. Her major research interests include the study of academic motivation and social development in children of color, particularly in school contexts that vary in racial/ethnic diversity. She is Principal Investigator on grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Professor Graham has published widely in developmental, social, and educational psychology journals and received many awards. Among her awards, she is a 2011 recipient of the Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Child Development Award from the Society for Research on Child Development and the 2014 E. L. Thorndike Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Educational Psychology, Division 15 of the American Psychological Association. Most recently, in 2015 she was elected to the National Academy of Education.

Departments

Department of Education

Programs

Academic Advising Specializations

Expertise

Titles and Positions

Distinguished Professor of Education
Presidential Chair in Education and Diversity

Awards, Honors and Fellowships

Elected to National Academy of Education
E.L. Thorndike Career Award for contributions to Educational Psychology, Division 15, American Psychological Association
Distinguished Master Lecturer, American Psychological Association
Independent Scientist Award, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health

Early Contribution Award from Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association
Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California
Associate Editor of Developmental Psychology
Member of the National Research Council Panel on Adolescent Health
Member of the MacArthur Foundation Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice

Education

Ph.D., Education, University of California, Los Angeles, 1982
M.A., History, Columbia University, 1970
B.A., History, Barnard College, 1969

Select Publications

Juvonen, J., & Graham, S. (2014). Bullying in schools: The power of bullies and the plight of victims. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 159-185.
Graham, S., & Taylor, A.Z. (2014). An attributional approach to emotional life in the classroom. In R. Pekrun & Lisa Linnenbrink-Garci (Eds), International handbook of emotions in education (pp. 96-119). London: Taylor & Francis.
Graham, S., & Munniskma, A., & Juvonen, J. (2014). Psychosocial benefits of cross-ethnic friendships in urban middle schools. Child Development, 85, 469-483.
Graham, S. (2015). Race and motivation. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences.
Graham, S., & Taylor, A.Z. (2016). Attribution theory and motivation in school. In K. Wentzel & D. Miele (Eds.), Handbook of motivation in school. London: Taylor & Francis.
Chen, X., & Graham, S. (2015). Cross-ethnic friendships and intergroup attitudes among Asian American adolescents. Child Development.
Spivak, A., White, S., Juvonen, J., & Graham, S. (2015). Correlates of prosocial behavior in ethnically and racially diverse middle schools. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly.
Morales-Chicas, J., & Graham, S. (2015). Pubertal timing in Latinas and school connectedness across the middle school transition. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.