W. David Wakefield

Biography

I joined the faculty at Cal State Northridge in January 2000 and am one of the original founding members of the Department of Child and Adolescent Development. Since joining the faculty, one of my consistent priorities has been expanding undergraduate students’ exposure to evidence-based practice regarding the developmental processes of children, adolescents and young adults.I earned both my Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Child & Adolescent Development at UC Santa Barbara. I earned my B.A. at UC Berkeley with majors in Psychology and Social Welfare and a minor in Education. I grew up in the South Bay area of Los Angeles and attended Los Angeles Unified schools for my K-12 education. My K-12 experiences as a student have been influential in my interest in becoming a university professor in the field of child and adolescent development.

Research Interest

My professional expertise revolves around understanding the ways children and teens think about their ethnic and cultural group membership and how this impacts their academic engagement, their personal & professional goals, and their attitudes towards people from ethnic & cultural groups other than their own. One of my strongest passions is helping students identify and reach their long-term goals. As an undergraduate student, I had never thought about becoming a professor mostly because I had no idea what I would need to do to become one. As an African American faculty member of mixed heritage, as well as being first in my family to receive a doctorate, I am highly committed to creating viable pathways for students to continue on to advanced degree programs, and especially for students typically underrepresented in higher education.