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Dr. Grolnick received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1981, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 1984 and 1987, respectively. She has been at Clark since 1991.
Dr. Grolnick is interested in motivational development in children and adolescents. Her research focuses on how social contexts (e.g., homes, schools) facilitate children's autonomous motivation, in which they regulate their own behavior and feel agentic with respect to it. She is currently exploring how parenting, on dimensions of autonomy support to control, involvement, and structure, predicts children's autonomous motivation, competence, and adjustment. She is also focusing on factors (e.g., parent attitudes and beliefs, stress and support, evaluative environments) that help or hinder parents' abilities to provide parenting resources to their children. Dr. Grolnick is currently developing a parenting intervention designed to prevent motivational and behavioral problems in school-age children. Dr. Grolnick's work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. Dr. Grolnick teaches courses in motivation, child development, and psychopathology.
Degrees
- Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Rochester, 1987
- B.A. in Psychology, Cornell University, 1981
Affiliated Department(s)
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Scholarly and Creative Works
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The Oxford Handbook of Self-Determination Theory
Chapter: Grolnick, W.S., & Lerner, R.E. (in press). How parental autonomy support, structure, and involvement help children flourish: Considering interactions, context, and diversityPublished by Oxford University Press
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2023
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Misconceptions about Motivation
American Psychological Association
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Minneapolis, MN
Summer
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2022
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Motivation myth busters: How science refutes common ideas about motivation and can be used to create happier and healthier lives
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2022
APA Press
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Should parents be involved in their children’s schooling?
Theory Into Practice
April
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2022
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Vol. 61
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Parental involvement and children’s academics: The roles of autonomy support and parents’ motivation for involvement
Contemporary Educational Psychology
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2022
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Vol. 68
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Understanding Parental Control and Structure in Anxious and Non-Anxious Children: An Observational Study.
Society for Research in Child Development
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Virtual
April
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2021
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Parental involvement and children’s academics: The roles of autonomy support and parents’ motivation for involvement
Society For Research in Child Development
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Virtual
April
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2021
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Keeping the Conversation Going: Next Steps in Theoretical Approaches to Understanding the Academic Motivation of Racially and Ethnically Diverse Students
American Educational Research Association
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Virtual
April
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2021
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Handbook on the Development of Coping
Chapter: Social Context, psychological needs, and the development of academic copingPublished by Cambridge University Press
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2021
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Effectiveness of a Brief Preventive Parenting Intervention Based in Self-Determination Theory
Journal of Child and Family Studies
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2021
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Vol. 30
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Awards & Grants
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How Should Parents React to the Onset of Their Adolescents’ Risk Behavior? A Longitudinal Study of Bedouin and Jewish Adolescents
United States - Israel Binational Science Foundation
Oct. 1, 2020 - Sep. 30, 2024
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Antecedents and Correlates of Health Mindsets in Pediatric Chronic Pain
American Psychological Association, Division 38 Graduate Student Research in General Health Psychology Award
Apr. 1, 2020 - Apr. 1, 2021
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Antecedents and Correlates of Health Mindsets in Pediatric Chronic Pain
Psi Chi
Mar. 1, 2020 - Jun. 30, 2020
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Parental Involvement and Children’s Academic Motivation and Achievement: Examining Children’s Affect and Parents’ Motivation and Involvement Style
Psi Chi
Nov. 1, 2018 - Dec. 31, 2019
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Advisor of the Year
Clark University
2021
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