Welcome to the Academic Motivation & Resilience Lab! 

We are based in the intersection of developmental psychology, motivation, and education. Broadly, we study how students overcome various challenges in secondary and post-secondary education as they pursue and persist in educational goals. We focus on specific skills and strategies students use to attain difficult goals, like being the first in their family to go to college. Our lab is guided by students’ capacity for resilience and change as co-producers of their development.

Principal Investigator - Dr. Brandilynn Villarreal

Dr. Villarreal is a lifespan developmental psychologist with research interests in motivation and educational goal pursuit. She studies adolescents and young adults as they navigate the transition into adulthood, particularly through higher education. She has a special interest in motivational and self-regulatory strategies used by first-generation, low-income, and traditionally underrepresented students in academia.

How to Join

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate research assistants are a valuable core part of our research team. As a research assistant, students have the opportunity to contribute to research projects, gain experience critiquing research articles, and share ideas with one another. Depending on your level of involvement, roles may include working on an Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposal, running research participants, or preparing a poster presentation to present at an academic research conference like Humboldt’s ideaFest or the Western Psychological Association (WPA) convention. Joining a research lab is especially valuable for undergraduates who will apply to graduate school.

If you are interested in becoming a research assistant in the Academic Motivation and Resilience Lab, send an academic resume or curriculum vitae (CV) to the Lab Manager Alice Zhang at alz15@humboldt.edu. There is the possibility of earning units for your participation in the lab.

 Please make sure to meet the following requirements:

1. Completed PSYC 240 (Research Methods)
2. Be able to attend weekly lab meetings for at least one semester, preferably two or more semesters
3. Have an interest in academic success or educational goals (broadly defined), motivation, and/or groups that are traditionally underrepresented in academia (e.g., racially minoritized students, students with disabilities, nontraditional students, etc.)

Graduate Students

The Academic Motivation and Resilience Lab is currently seeking graduate applicants for the Academic Research (AR) M.A. or blended program in Psychology with a specialization in Developmental Psychology. Although specific research interests may vary, incoming students typically have an interest in academic success or educational goals (broadly defined), motivation, and/or groups that are traditionally underrepresented in academia (e.g., racially minoritized students, students with disabilities, nontraditional students, etc.).

If you are interested in applying to the AR program to work with Dr. Villarreal, send an email to brandilynn.villarreal@humboldt.edu. More information about the AR graduate program at Humboldt and application instructions can be found here: Academic Research Master's Program

Lab Contacts

Brandilynn Villarreal, Principal Investigator, brandilynn.villarreal@humboldt.edu

Alice Zhang, Graduate Student & Lab Manager, alz15@humboldt.edu