Biography

I joined the Developmental Sciences division in the Fall of 2020 after obtaining my B.S. in Psychology at The Ohio State University. My work as an undergraduate research assistant, a DEI student manager, and personal education experiences led to my interest in education research and passion for education reform.

I am working under the advisement of Dra. Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, and my current research interest aims to understand how expectations and past experiences match and affect the development of students' present belonging, and the implications for whether or not their belonging expectations are met. I am also working to identify how Black graduate students understand and develop a sense of belonging, given that they sit at the intersection of several identities(e.g., race, student, university employee). I use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods in my research.

Outside of academics, I enjoy music, poetry, watching football, traveling, cooking, and eating. On a warm sunny day, you can catch me outside tending to my plants and cherishing the weather.

I would love to connect with anyone who would like to talk about the program or research.

Twitter: @TaiylorRayford

Courses

EPSY 201: Educational Psychology (EPSY 201) Explores fundamental issues of development, learning, instruction, and assessment. This course articulates how people learn, how they are influenced by cultural and social contexts, how to assess learning and its outcomes, and how best to teach and motivate people to achieve. Educational psychologists improve learning in a broad range of settings: homes, classrooms, work environments, and communities.