Recent Graduates

Lok-Wah Li

Research and Evaluation Manager
Boston Children’s Museum
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Education
Ph.D. 2022, Tufts University, Child Study and Human Development
Adviser: Dr. Christine McWayne

M.A. 2014, Tufts University, Child Development
Adviser: Dr. Christine McWayne

B.A. 2008, Brandeis University
Major: Psychology
Minors: Education Studies; Language and Linguistics

Internships
Doctoral Intern at Somerville Family Learning Collaborative, Somerville Public Schools, Somerville, MA
Doctoral Intern at Boston Children’s Museum, Child Development Department, Boston, MA

Research Interests
My research interests stem from my background as an immigrant from Hong Kong, as well as my experiences working in preschool and children’s museum settings in the US. I seek to understand childrearing among culturally diverse families from a ground-up, strength-based perspective. My dissertation explores how multiple caregivers in Chinese heritage families consider, negotiate, and implement daily childrearing practices related to preschool children’s learning and school readiness. I wish to center the voices of caregivers from low-income communities to highlight narratives on resilience and strength in childrearing, illustrating again that “it takes a village to raise a child.”

Maria Cristina (Cricket) Limlingan

Research Scientist
Cultivate Learning, University of Washington
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Education
Ph.D. 2016, Tufts University, Child Study and Human Development
Adviser: Dr. Christine McWayne

M.A. 2007, University of Pennsylvania, Educational Policy
Adviser: Dr. Margaret Goertz

B.A. 2001, Ateneo de Manila University
Major: Psychology

Internships
Doctoral Intern at Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA
Doctoral Intern at Education Development Center, Manila, Philippines

Research Interests
Dr. Maria Cristina (Cricket) Limlingan is a Research Scientist at Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington and is the lead Washington State Research Partner for Partnerships for Pre-K Improvement, a multi-year, cross-sectoral study focusing on improving the quality of state-funded pre-k programs. She recently completed her Postdoctoral fellowship in Classroom Intervention at the Developing Language and Literacy Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University where she worked on research related to supporting teachers who work with dual language learners (DLLs). Cricket is interested in conducting rigorous, multidisciplinary, mixed-methods research in early childhood and basic education with the goal of improving the quality of educational experiences for young children in the United States and in low- and middle- income countries. Her previous research has been related to home, school and community partnerships, family engagement, teacher-child interactions and dual language learners’ school readiness.

Brandon Foster

Associate Director of Statistics and Psychometrics, Endpoint Outcomes
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Education
Ph.D., 2017, Tufts University, Child Study and Human Development
Adviser: Dr. Christine McWayne

M.A. 2013, Tufts University, Child Study and Human Development
Adviser: Dr. Christine McWayne

B.A. 2010, University of Southern Maine
Adviser: Dr. Bruce Thompson
Major: Psychology

Internships
Doctoral Intern in Psychometrics at Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Research Interests
My primary research interests have included the measurement of early childhood classroom environments. My dissertation examined the psychometric properties of the ECERS-R. Specifically, the dissertation used Rasch measurement theory to investigate the measurement properties of the ECERS-R as it is currently implemented in policy reform initiatives, such as in quality rating and improvement systems. Currently, I am the head of statistics and psychometrics for a clinical research organization. I lead teams that develop and validate patient-reported outcome (PROs) measures that are implemented into clinical trials for US and European regulatory review and regulatory decisions or to assist with clinical care. Specific research interests include the development of pediatric PRO measures that are developmentally appropriate, as well as the implementation of intensive diary methods to capture the dynamics of the symptoms and impacts of diseases.

Sunah Hyun

Postdoctoral Fellow
T32 Stuart T. Hauser Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP),
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
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Education
Ph.D. 2019, Tufts University, Child Study and Human Development
Adviser: Dr. Christine McWayne

Dissertation Title: Examination of Chinese Immigrant Parents’ Beliefs about Children’s Social Development Through Play: A Mixed Methods Explanatory Sequential Study.
Funded by Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Ed.M. 2010, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education
Adviser: Dr. Paul Harris
Concentration: Human Development and Psychology

B.A. 2006, University of Washington
Adviser: Dr. Tuen Yu Lau
Concentration: Social and Cultural Communication

Internships
Doctoral Intern in Education Program at American institutes for Research, Waltham, MA
Doctoral Intern at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA

Research Interests
My research focuses on understanding low-income immigrant families, children’s cultural adjustments in the US context, and identifying specific areas of resilience to address the risks that arise for these vulnerable groups. Specifically, I am interested in how parents’ engagement in their children’s school system and teachers’ understanding of children’s culture may serve as protective factors in fostering children’s well-being across various points throughout development. Much of my work has focused on children’s school readiness (especially around social-emotional outcomes) within sociocultural and linguistically diverse communities and contexts, including Asian immigrant groups. I have had substantial experience partnering with multiple stakeholders (parents, teachers, directors and staff of organizations) as a doctoral research assistant of an NSF-funded project for 7 years to address developmental concerns among immigrant children. As a community-based researcher, I aim to develop culturally responsive interventions and conduct research to foster healthy development and school success for children and families. During my postdoctoral fellowship period, I hope to apply my previous experiences towards clinical outcomes (such as stress, depression and suicidality). I envision that my postdoctoral training would prepare me to be an independent academic researcher that can address many of the clinical concerns affecting the immigrant community.