Nicole Else-Quest
Professor
Nicole Else-Quest is a developmental psychologist whose interdisciplinary and collaborative research applies the core feminist theory of intersectionality across the sciences to understand gendered patterns of development among diverse groups.
A first-generation college student, she earned her Ph.D. in developmental psychology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Prior to joining the Education Department at UCLA, she was Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Broadly, Dr. Else-Quest is interested in expanding participation in STEM and developing the quantitative and qualitative methodological repertoire within feminist social sciences research. She is currently Principal Investigator on two collaborative grants from the National Science Foundation. These and other projects are invested in improving student learning outcomes and retention, in partnership with educators from elementary mathematics classrooms through undergraduate chemistry and doctoral engineering programs.
In addition to her scholarly research, Dr. Else-Quest is author of the undergraduate textbook, The Psychology of Women and Gender: Half the Human Experience+.
Within the Education and Social Transformation major, Dr. Else-Quest teaches EDUC 141: Adolescent Development and 110: Gender Development in Education. And, she is Chair of the Social Science Interdepartmental Program, which offers a Master in Social Science degree.
Departments
Programs
Other Affiliations
Titles and Positions
- Professor, Department of Education
- Chair, Social Science Interdepartmental Program
Education
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Ph.D., Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 2006
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M.S., Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 2002
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B.A., Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1999
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A.A., University of Wisconsin—Waukesha County, 1997
Awards, Honors, and Fellowships
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Fellow, American Psychological Association
Select Publications
- Else-Quest, N. M., & Aldridge, J. L. (2026). Reorienting to organizational climate in engineering doctoral education: An integrative framework and meta-synthesis. AERA Open, 12(1), 1-23.
- Harackiewicz, J. M., Hecht, C. A., Asher, M. W., Beymer, P. N., Lamont, L. B., Wheeler, N. S., Else-Quest, N. M., Priniski, S. J., Smith, J. L., Hyde, J. S., & Thoman, D. B. (2023). A prosocial value intervention in gateway STEM courses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(6), 1265–1307.
- French, A. M., Else-Quest, N. M., Asher, M., Thoman, D. B., Smith, J. L., Hyde, J. S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2023). An intersectional application of expectancy-value theory in an undergraduate chemistry course. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 47 (3), 299-319.
- Sun, S., Else-Quest, N. M., Hodges, L., French, A. M. & Dowling, R. (2021). The effects of ALEKS on mathematics learning in k-12 and higher education: A meta-analysis. Investigations in Mathematics Learning, 13, 182-196.
- Else-Quest, N. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2016). Intersectionality in quantitative psychological research: II. Methods & techniques. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40, 319-336.
- Else-Quest, N. M. & Hyde, J. S. (2016). Intersectionality in quantitative psychological research: I. Theoretical and epistemological issues. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40, 155-170.
- Else-Quest, N. M., & Peterca, O. (2015). Academic attitudes and achievement in students of urban public single-sex and mixed-sex high schools. American Educational Research Journal, 52, 693-718.
- Else-Quest, N. M., Mineo, C. C., & Higgins, A. (2013). Math and science attitudes and achievement at the intersection of gender and ethnicity. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 37, 293-309.
- Else-Quest, N. M., Hyde, J. S., & Linn, M. C. (2010). Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 103-127.
- Else-Quest, N. M., Hyde, J. S., Goldsmith, H. H., & Van Hulle, C. (2006). Gender differences in temperament: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 33-72.