PROJECTS
NSF HSI START (2023 - 2026)
STEM Transfer and Research Training (START)
California State University, Northridge
With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program) funded by the National Science Foundation, this Track 1 START project (#2247964) aims to enhance the quality of first-year experiences among STEM transfer students by removing cultural and institutional barriers. Led by Drs. Melanie Bocanegra, Shu-Sha Angie Guan, Dimpal Jain, and Yolanda Vasquez-Salgado, the program aims to (1) redevelop existing STEM workshops into bridging summer, first-year transfer experience lab courses (UNIV 396A) and (2) test the effectiveness of culturally responsive lab course modifications relative to control courses in improving student science outcomes and persistence. Results of this project will aid HSIs in identifying customizable program elements best suited for aiding first-year transfer students in their transition to university.
NIH NIGMS EMBARC (2022 - 2027)
Educational Modules to Broaden Academic Research Cultures (EMBARC)
California State University, Northridge
Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), EMBARC (NIGMS R25GM147158) is led by Drs. Shu-Sha Angie Guan, Yolanda Vasquez-Salgado, Carrie Saetermoe, and Cindy Malone. It builds on Guan and Saetermoe's work in the NIH BUILD PODER Program (NIGMS 5RL5GM118975), Saetermoe's work in the Health Equity Research and Education (HERE) Center's STEM Transfer and Research Training (START) Office (NIGMS 5UL1GM118976), Vasquez-Salgado's work on Cultural Mismatch Theory (NIGMS 5R16GM146693), and Malone's work with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM EDUC2-12718). Our prior work suggests that undergraduate research experiences and mentorship can enhance student science education and transfer among community college students (Ashcroft et al., 2021; Villaseñor et al., 2021). Programs infused with cultural awareness have the potential to increase science self-efficacy among students from diverse backgrounds (Guan & Vasquez-Salgado, 2023).
SuCCESS (2019 - present)
Success in CSUN and Community College Education in Science Study (SuCCESS)
California State University, Northridge
The purpose of this study is to explore barriers and supports in biobehavioral science success at 2-year and 4-year institutions. Institutional, cultural, and social experiences can differentially shape science aspirations for students at 2-year, community relative to students at 4-year universities (Guan, Ashcroft, et al., 2022), particularly in the last few years as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the educational landscape (Guan, Vasquez-Salgado, & Burke, 2022).
SEARCH Study (2016 - 2019)
Social Experiences and Relationships on Cross-Cultural Health (SEARCH)
California State University, Northridge
Social relationships have a powerful effect on well-being, such that supportive experiences can get “under the skin” to affect physical health outcomes (Guan, Bower, et al., 2016). Positive social relationships may affect health by buffering against the negative effect of stress on physiological, stress-response systems (e.g., neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, immune). However, individuals from different cultural backgrounds may have different support needs and norms (Guan & Fuligni, 2015). The current study aims to examine how receiving and providing social support affects stress reduction among young adults from diverse backgrounds within an experimental (rather than survey) paradigm.
MS.SIM Study (2014 - 2016)
Multi-ethnic Study of Social Interaction and Media (MS.SIM)
University of California, Los Angeles
Young adults from diverse backgrounds in the 21st century are increasingly turning to new technologies to connect to others. Researchers are beginning to examine how social support across media affects psychological and physical well-being (Guan & Subrahmanyam, 2009). The aims of this study were to examine (1) psychological and physiological stress response after face-to-face, computer-mediated, or no support conditions (Guan, Bui, & Ho, 2017); and (2) explore how cultural background shapes preferences and outcomes (Guan, Chiang, et al., 2017).
Study of Language Brokering in Context (2009 - 2014)
University of California, Los Angeles
Immigrants and children of immigrants make up 12.5% of the U.S. population. Of the foreignborn, 84.3% speak a language other than English at home & 31.2% live in households where no one above the age of 14 speaks English well (US Census, 2008). Given this language context, the children of immigrants often translate and interpret for their families and communities. This practice is often referred to as language brokering. The aims of this study were to examine (1) how language brokering affects parent-child relationships (Guan & Shen, 2014), (2) language brokers' prosocial (e.g., empathic concern, perspective-taking) capacities (Guan et al., 2014), (3) brokers' use of technology as a tool (Guan, 2017), and (4) how socio-political and other family contexts shape brokers' views about themselves and the practice (Guan et al., 2015).